NAOGAON, Feb 18: Commercial farming of aloe vera is becoming popular in Raninagar upazila of the district due to its growing demand, excellent yield and good market price.
Sources said, many people of the area are becoming self-reliant through farming the herbal plant. Apart from cultivating on farmland, some people are farming the plant at homesteads and some of them are farming on their rooftops too.
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Raninagar, said aloe vera is being cultivated in the upazila under a DAE's project with the Common Interest Group (CIG) farmers of the area.
CIG member Hosne Ara of upazila's Madhaimuri village at first started commercial farming of aloe vera on the rooftop of her house. Later, many other men and women of the upazila have involved in aloe vera farming.
Hosne Ara said, "I need very little effort and low cost to cultivate and take care of the aloe vera plants. I almost did nothing after planting the saplings."
"Each month I sell aloe vera leaves worth Tk 10,000 to Tk 12,000. I do not have to go to the market to sell these as the wholesalers come to my house to collect the produce", she added.
Upazila agriculture officer Shahidul Islam said as a medicinal plant, aloe vera has a high demand in the market in the district and outside.
Many youths are contacting us on regular basis to know about aloe vera farming and we are giving them necessary advice.
The DAE is working on how to make the rural women self solvent through farming aloe vera apart apart from their household work, in eight unions of the upazila, Mr Islam added.
