Good prices bring smile to betel nut growers

Betel nut growers of Noakhali and Laxmipur districts are happy with its good yield and fair price this season. Plucking is going on in full swing and several wholesale markets have been set up in the two districts.
Department of Agriculture Extension sources said in the current season, 456 hectares of land have been brought under betel nut cultivation.
During a recent visit to Dattarhat wholesale market in Laxmipur this correspondent saw one pon (80 pieces) of betel nut selling between Tk 180 to Tk 185, depending on size and quality.  
Jamal Hossain, a wholesaler, said “Noakhali and Laxmipur are popular betel nut production areas. I sold betel nuts worth Tk 5 lakh this week.”
“I have a betel nut garden on one bigha of land where from I sell produce worth over Tk 1 lakh every year. This season I have already sold betel nuts worth Tk 70,000 and I hope to get Tk 20/30 thousand more,” said Mujibul Haque, of West Sonapur in Sadar upazila.
Mobarak Mia, a trader from Dhaka, said he comes to buy betel nuts from Laxmipur in the harvesting season every year as the item grown there has high demand for its good taste and size.  
The soil and climatic condition of the two districts is favourable for betel nut cultivation, said local people.   
The people of the districts traditionally plant betel nut trees around their homesteads. Many of them also cultivate it in orchards.    
Saplings are usually planted in Boishakh and Joishtha (mid-April to mid-June) months of Bangla calendar and the yield starts after three or four years. Two to five pons of nuts are got from each tree.
It is better to apply cow dung to its root once in a year after lightly digging up the upper portion of soil around its root during the month of Kartik, Mujibul Haque said.     
During the harvesting period, most of the growers sell half of the produce.
The rest is put in polythene bags after soaking in water and kept buried under soil for two to three months to make it tastier.

 

Good prices bring smile to betel nut growers

Betel nut growers of Noakhali and Laxmipur districts are happy with its good yield and fair price this season. Plucking is going on in full swing and several wholesale markets have been set up in the two districts. Department of Agriculture Extension sources said in the current season, 456 hectares of land have been brought under betel nut cultivation. During a recent visit to Dattarhat wholesale market in Laxmipur this correspondent saw one pon (80 pieces) of betel nut selling between Tk 180 to Tk 185, depending on size and quality. Jamal Hossain, a wholesaler, said Noakhali and Laxmipur are popular betel nut production areas. I sold betel nuts worth Tk 5 lakh this week. I have a betel nut garden on one bigha of land where from I sell produce worth over Tk 1 lakh every year. This season I have already sold betel nuts worth Tk 70,000 and I hope to get Tk 20/30 thousand more, said Mujibul Haque, of West Sonapur in Sadar upazila. Mobarak Mia, a trader from Dhaka, said he comes to buy betel nuts from Laxmipur in the harvesting season every year as the item grown there has high demand for its good taste and size. The soil and climatic condition of the two districts is favourable for betel nut cultivation, said local people. The people of the districts traditionally plant betel nut trees around their homesteads. Many of them also cultivate it in orchards. Saplings are usually planted in Boishakh and Joishtha (mid-April to mid-June) months of Bangla calendar and the yield starts after three or four years. Two to five pons of nuts are got from each tree. It is better to apply cow dung to its root once in a year after lightly digging up the upper portion of soil around its root during the month of Kartik, Mujibul Haque said. During the harvesting period, most of the growers sell half of the produce. The rest is put in polythene bags after soaking in water and kept buried under soil for two to three months to make it tastier.