RAJSHAHI, Oct 08: Commercial cultivation of banana is gaining ground in the district.
According to sources, the price of banana remained dull during last year. But, this year the price of banana price is encouraging.
The price of a full, large size bunch of banana was being sold at Tk 1,000.
Though the price is a bit low now-a-days, but still a bunch of banana is not available below Tk 500.
According to source of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), banana was cultivated in more than 8,000 bigha of land than that of last year.
Last year banana was cultivated on 1,496 hectares of land but this year banana has been cultivated on 1,496 hectares of land in the district.
Banana cultivator Mijan of Paba upazila said banana cultivation was further profitable than any other plantation.
Moreover, when the trees are small in size, some other crops can be cultivated in the same land as companion crop with banana.
Golam Mostafa of Mohanpur upazila informed, as a commercial crop of fruit, varieties of banana like Anupama, Chaapa, Maher sagar, Manik, Sabri and Jin are being cultivated in the district.
The demand of banana remained the same all through the year and the price is also satisfactory.
The banana is cultivated in comparatively high land, free of water logging. Farmers in Bagmara, Tanore, Mohanpur, Durgapur and Paba upazilas were digging ponds in their fields and were cultivating banana on the enclosure of those ponds.
Farmers informed, 300 to 350 banana plants can be transplanted on a bigha of land and it costs Tk 20,000 to Tk 25,000 to cultivate banana on a bigha of land.
There is usually no pest infestation in the banana plant and a farmer can sell banana worth Tk 80,000 to Tk 100,000 from selling those.
They further informed, there was no problem in selling banana because the whole sale traders purchased those from their field.
A huge supply of banana is noticed in the markets of Baneswar, Jhalmolia of Puthia upazila, Mollapara and Baya of Paba upazila, Mougacchi and Keshorhat of Mohanpur upazilas.
Shahain, a banana farmer of Bitarail village under Paba upazila said this year, the price of banana was satisfactory round the year.
Having no land of his own, he took lease of others land and was cultivating banana there. He said a farmer has to spend Tk 70 to Tk 80 to produce a bunch of banana.
It is learnt, Puthia upazila was topping the list in cultivation of potato.
Deb Dulal Dhali, deputy director of DAE, Rajshahi, said banana cultivation is profitable. A good number of farmers in the district show their interest in banana production.
