RANGPUR: The farmers are now happy over excellent litchi flowering with a hope of getting bumper production of the juiciest fleshy fruit this season in eights northern districts under Rangpur division, reports BSS. With advent of the spring at the eve of departure of the winter, massive litchi blooming has been continuing amid adequately favorable climatic conditions and sunny weather now everywhere in the region.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources, over 75 percent of litchi trees in about 9,300 small, medium and big-sized litchi orchards and in homestead areas have already bloomed massively in Rangpur division.
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam today told BSS that commercial litchi cultivation had become popular as thousands of farmers already achieved self-reliance through farming the fruits in recent years.
“The farmers are mostly cultivating high yielding varieties like China-3, ‘Bedana’, Bombay, ‘Mozaffarpuri’ and Madrazi and late variety ‘Kanthali’ litchi on more lands following repeated bumper production and lucrative price,” he said.
He suggested the farmers to spray 80 percent Sulphur on litchi tress if mite attack is found following rise in temperature during fruit formation stage after budding from mid-March for getting better production.
“The farmers can also spray ‘Mentozeb’ or ‘Propikonazole’ as per recommended dose to prevent powdery nose mildew or anthrax those might attack young leaves or blooming flower twigs or buds following rise in temperature amid cloudy sky,” Islam added.
While visiting a huge litchi orchard of farmer Atiar Rahman in village Damodarpur under Sadar upazila here, this Reporter observed excellent flowering in about 90 per cent of the litchi trees there.
Talking to BSS, litchi growers Abdus Sobhan, Shachindra Nath, Aminul Haque and Fazle Hossain of different villages under Badarganj upazila here said they were expecting bumper litchi yield with good profits this time like in the previous seasons.
Farmers Aiyub Ali, Kafil Uddin, Mosaddek Hossain and Mokbular Rahman of Birganj upazila in Dinajpur expressed their happiness over excellent litchi flowering and hoped to earn better profits getting bumper production this year. Agriculture and Environment Coordinator of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid predicted bumper litchi production this season following superb flowering at this stage if the climatic condition remains favourable till June next.
Deputy Director of the DAE SM Asharf Ali said that commercial litchi farming had been expanding fast bringing fortune to thousands of farmers following repeated bumper productions with excellent market price in recent years. Regional Additional Director of the DAE Md Shah Alam said the farmers already boosted commercial basis cultivation of litchi in their orchards in all eight districts under Rangpur division.
He expressed satisfaction over excellent blossoming in litchi trees in the orchards and homesteads predicting bumper production of the high-priced fruit amid favourable climatic condition in the division this season.