JOYPURHAT, Mar 05: Strawberry growers in the district are making good profit this season as they got a satisfactory yield and fair market prices.
A good number of farmers in Akkelpur, Kalai, Panchbibi, Khetlal and Sadar upazilas cultivated the delicious fruit and achieved a bumper yield.
Each kg of strawberry is selling at Tk 300 to Tk 350 in the retail market while the rate is around Tk 200 to Tk 250 in the wholesale market.
A large quantity of the fruit is sent to different districts across the country due to high demand.
Commercial cultivation of the juicy fruit is now popular in the area. Lucrative market prices encourage the farmers to grow the vitamin-rich fruit, said sub-assistance agriculture officer of DAE Azizur Rahman.
November to December is the high time to plant the saplings on the land.
Growers generally harvest the produce during February to April.
Each plant bears around 250 to 300 grams of fruit and some 6,000 plants can be grown on a bigha of land, some farmers in the area said.
"I have cultivated the fruit on 46 decimals of land spending over Tk 50,000 this season," said Motaher Ali of Jamalpur union under Joypurhat Sadar.
The farmer said he has already made a handsome profit this season.
Some locals said many unemployed youths in the area have become self reliant by farming strawberries commercially.
The cultivation process is easy and profitable.
Cultivators usually earn around Tk 0.3 million to Tk 0.4 million from a bigha of land.
Deputy Director of DAE Suhdundranath Roy said the district has immense prospect to grow strawberry fruits.
"We have provided all necessary support to the farmers in connection", he added.
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