Sylhet’s citrus getting popular at home and abroad

What is the maximum amount of money a person would be willing to spend on a single citrus fruit? If you guessed between Tk 15 and Tk 40, you would be dead wrong.

There is one distinct citrus fruit, called citron, which is so popular in Sylhet that a single piece weighing around two kilogrammes can cost as much as Tk 1,000.

Popularly known as "Jara", this large, ovate and highly fragrant variety of citrus berry has been enjoyed by the people of Sylhet for centuries now for its unique flavour.

The locals seem to have a taste for the tangy as they have developed other varieties as well, such as a cardamom flavoured smaller version of the citron called "Shashni", and the most famous type of wild orange called "Shatkora".

Besides, they also developed the "Ada Jamir", or ginger lime, which is highly fragrant but inedible unless used as an ingredient.

Over the years, the varieties of citrus fruit have gained popularity not only in Sylhet, but all over the country and abroad.

At Lalbazar in Sylhet city, each Jara gets sold for between Tk 200 and Tk 1,000 depending on side while Shashni goes for Tk 140 to Tk 350 per piece.

Meanwhile, Ada Jamir is sold for Tk 100 to Tk 200 per hali (four pieces) while the same number of Shatkora are priced at Tk 200 to Tk 400.

Jayed Ahmed, a purveyor of citrus fruits at Lalbazar, said he normally registers sales of around Tk 5,000 to Tk 8,000 every day during normal times.

"But when expatriates visit Sylhet, my sales reach Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 daily," he added.

Ahmed explained that expatriates tend to buy copious amounts of these fruits upon their return to the country as each variety costs at least three times more in kitchen markets abroad.

According to data from the Export Promotion Bureau, Bangladesh shipped $17.35 lakh worth of citrus fruit and $20,000 worth of citrus peel in fiscal 2021-22.

In the greater Sylhet region, Citrus fruits are mainly grown in hilly areas of the Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts.

Some 27,032 tonnes of citrus fruits were grown on 1,702 hectares of land in Moulvibazar while another 9,934 tonnes were produced on 1,390 hectares of land in Sylhet last season, as per data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).

Md Faruk Hossain, additional deputy director of the DAE in Sylhet, said citrus fruits from Sylhet are being exported to European and middle eastern markets.

However, all shipments take place through the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka as the Osmani International Airport in Sylhet does not have the facilities needed.

"For this, local farmers are not getting good prices and the export is not increasing," he added.

The Citrus Research Centre (CRC), a subsidiary of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), in Sylhet's Jaintiapur upazila has been working on the research and development of citrus fruits since 1960.

Over the decades, the centre evolved a total of 21 varieties of citrus, including three types of mandarin, three types of sweet orange, six pomelos, one Shatkora, one Jara, one sweet lime, one key lime and six lemons.

While citrus species like Jara and Shatkora are quickly gaining popularity, there are fewer hybrid varieties available and so, Shatkora is mostly imported from Assam of India to meet the demand in Sylhet.

MHM Borhannuddin Bhuyan, scientific officer of the CRC, said Shatkora is a very delicate and wild species found on a very slow growing tree.

"That is why farmers are not interested in growing it despite the high demand. On the other hand, Jara and other citrus fruits have become more popular among farmers over the years," he added.

At present, the CRC is producing 10,000 mother saplings of different varieties of citrus and distributing them to private farms that are multiplying these plants for commercial production.

Dr Shah Md Lutfur Rahman, principal scientific officer of the CRC, said the organisation is planning on developing hybrid varieties of Shatkora and other citrus fruits.

To facilitate the advanced research, four laboratories -- Molecular Biology, Pomology, Tissue Culture and Plant Physiology -- recently received advanced equipment.

"We are very hopeful to see a huge change in the research and production," Rahman added.

Tahmin Ahmed, president of Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the demand for citrus fruits is increasing in the UK, US, EU and middle eastern markets.

"But due to a lack of warehouses, packing stations and certification centre at Sylhet airport, we struggle as we are being forced to export via Dhaka," he added.

Ahmed went on to say that they handed over a letter to the agriculture minister at a conference on February 14, demanding these facilities.

"But after all these months, there is no ray of hope," he said.