Litchi production in Magura has increased ten fold compared to what it was a decade ago thanks to favourable weather and soil conditions this year.

As such, the optimum yields seen in the ongoing harvest season have given farmers hope of making good business by supplying the seasonal fruit to different parts of the country.

During a recent visit to orchards in the Isakheda and Hazrapur villages, it was found that litchi farmers and traders were in a jovial mood while picking the fruit with their wives and children helped arrange them in piles.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Magura said that 639 hectares of land under four upazilas of the district have been brought under litchi cultivation to produce an estimated 5,924 tonnes of the fruit.

However, yields may exceed expectations considering the current trend in harvesting.

The DAE officials went on to say that during the short harvesting window for litchis, around 10,000 local housewives and adolescents get the chance to earn about Tk 300 daily by working at orchards.

And considering this year's sizeable yields, the DAE expects farmers in the district will be able to sell around Tk 60 crore worth of the fruit in the ongoing season.

Magura is considered the best litchi growing district in Khulna as it has the most suitable soil for this purpose.

A mature litchi tree can produce around 12,000 to 15,000 pieces of the fruit each year while smaller ones provide about 6,000 to 7,000 litchis at the same time.

According to various farmers, maintaining a litchi orchard bears little expense.

"We only apply some phosphate and compost fertiliser to ensure good harvests. We then take the fruits to Ishakhada bazar, where they are shipped off on trucks to different districts," said Nuru Sardar, a litchi grower of Ishakhada village under Magura sadar upazila.

Sardar told this correspondent that he once sold Tk 55,000 worth of litchis from his orchard comprising 30 trees. And although he had the same number of trees in 2021, he was only able to sell Tk 25,000 worth of the fruit that year due to the damaged caused by cyclone Amphan.

This year though, favourable weather has allowed him to sell Tk 90,000 worth of litchis from his orchard, which now comprises 50 trees

"But we need a market where we can offer our products at usual rates and besides, there are no storehouses where we can keep our products for a few days in case we need to wait out poor weather or low market prices," he added.

Khokon Mollah, another farmer from the same village, said the 110 litchi trees he planted this year bore fruit worth Tk 80,000 while he only received Tk 35,000 from selling the fruit last year.

He got 5,000 to 6,000 litchis from each tree last year while he is getting 14,000 to 15,000 from the same plants this year since their growth was not hampered by any natural calamity.

In the early season this year, he sold litchis for Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,200 per thousand pieces. He is now selling the same about for between Tk 1,100 and Tk 1,200.

During the harvesting period, many unemployed men and women can enough to care for themselves and even help their families.

"We not only become financially solvent, but also the local poor boys and girls can collect litchi for free and eat to their hearts' content," Mollah added.

Milon Hossain, a local litchi trader, said the litchis grown in Magura have a uniquely delicious taste. So, traders from different parts of the country throng here to collect the fruit for their markets.

Hossain went on say that that he purchased five litchis worth about Tk 2.50 lakh from orchards in Ishakheda and Hazrapur in expectation of around Tk 4 lakh in return.

Lavlu Khunkar, another trader, said purchased Tk 30 lakh worth of litchis from various orchards and harvesting litchis in full swing.

He has already sold up Tk 25 lakh of the fruit as of May 15 but harvesting will continue till the last week of May. So, Khunkar expects that may sell another Tk 12 lakh worth of litchis if the weather remains favourable.

Nazma Khatun of Ishakheda village said that she is seasonally employed by orchards during the harvesting period.

"During this period, I can earn around Tk 10,000 in total and help meet my family expenses," she added.

Ismail Hossain, another orchard worker, said he packages and sorts the plucked fruit for about Tk 500 per day.

"I work at an orchard during the harvesting season but otherwise pull a rickshaw to make a living," Hossain added.

Dr Md Ashrafuzzaman Jahid, associate professor of the department of nutrition and food technology at Jashore University of Science and Technology, said litchis contain a good amount of Vitamin C, Vitamin B-complex and phytonutrient flavonoids.

The fruit is a rich source of nutrients that are required for producing healthy blood. It provides magnesium, copper, iron folate, and more elements that are required for the formation of red blood cells.

Dr Hyat Mahmud, deputy director of the Magura DAE, told The Daily Star that farmers will get bumper production this year as the weather is favourable.

"This is the most litchi produced in Magura in the last ten years," he said.

He added that the production of litchi is better this year than the previous ten years. Magura is the only best litchi grower district in Khulna division, he told.