Hog plum farmers log better business

River canals in the southern region of Bangladesh are packed with vendors that have seemingly built their dreams around the production of hog plums, locally known as 'amra'.

Trawlers and hundreds of boats laden with hog plums on their way to Dhaka and Chattogram have become a common sight in Nesarabad upazila and Jhalakathi sadar upazila in Barishal.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Barishal, approximately 30,000 tonnes of the fruit, valued at around Tk 100 crore, was produced on about 2,000 hectares of land across six districts in the region.

Hog plum cultivation now supports the livelihood of at least 20,000 farmers and at least 1,000 wholesalers and trawler owners.

Shekhar Sikder, the owner of an orchard in Kuriana union of Pirojpur, said that he earned at least Tk 5 lakh from cultivating hog plums on two acres of land. Md Waliur Rahman of Jhalakati sadar added: "We got about 100 tonnes of the fruit, which is worth Tk 5 lakh, from around eight acres of land. At the end of the season, more will be cultivated."

Hog plum cultivation now supports the livelihood of at least 20,000 farmers and at least 1,000 wholesalers and trawler owners in the southern region.

Farmers said easy transportation due to the Padma Bridge has given a fillip to the trade. 

Babul Mandal, from Atghar union of Nesarabad upazila, said at least 100 trucks were transporting hog plums from Atghar, Kuriana and Adamkathi Haat to Dhaka and Chattogram daily. Sahid Mallik, a wholesale businessman from the Zindakathi village in Pirojpur, added that at least 100 local wholesalers had dispatched 300-400 tonnes of hog plums by trucks and trawlers to Dhaka and Chattogram.

Depending on the quality, the price ranges from Tk 20,000-25,000 per tonne, said Shekhar Sikder.

"It is playing a major role in overcoming the downturn associated with the Covid-19 pandemic," said Niranjan Haldar, president of an association of guava and hog plum farmers.

Chapal Krishna Debnath, upazila agriculture officer of the DAE in Pirojpur, said yields were better this time, with at least 16 tonnes collected per hectare. Ali Ahamed, upazila agriculture officer of the DAE in Jhalakati sadar, said 90 hectares in Jhalakati had been devoted to hog plum cultivation.

Local farmers said they gravitated towards the crop because it offered good profit, especially since the price of the fruit was higher this year compared to the past. Several farmers said they were anticipating higher profits from the cultivation of hog plums than in previous years.

Many have replaced their guava orchards, which they say offers little profit, and instead started planting hog plums to make up for losses suffered in the fallout of the pandemic.

However, Bipul Bihari Halder, a principal by profession who also maintains a farm, pointed out one of the issues facing the industry. He said that farmers could not meet demand for hog plums in the off-season, when prices are generally higher, due to a lack of methods to preserve their harvest, such as cold storages.