Jujube offers good prospects to farmers

Cultivation of jujube, locally known as 'kul' or 'boroi' is on the rise in Jessore's Sharsha upazila, adjacent to the Indian border. With a history of dependable profits that have compared favourably with other crops in recent years, jujube orchards look set to continue to expand.

“I cultivate three varieties, called bau, apple and narkel jujube,” says orchardist Jhantu Mia from Sharsha. “I've been growing jujube for ten years. With the market price now at about Tk 50 per kilogram for the fruit, I hope to make up to Tk 4 lakh profit from my orchard covering eight bighas of land this season. Per bigha it costs around Tk 30,000 to grow jujube.”

With first harvest occurring as soon as four months after an orchard is established, many small-scale farmers see in the fruit the potential for quick profits and self-sufficiency. In addition the development of jujube varieties, including apple and bau, by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has generated interest.

According to the upazila agriculture office, around 500 farmers in the area are orchardists of the apple and narkel varieties. “Around 120 hectares has been dedicated to different types of jujube,” says Upazila Agriculture Officer Hirok Kumar Sarkar. “The high market prices are attractive.”

“So far this year I have sold jujube worth over Tk 35,000,” says another orchardist, Ahsan Habib from Gatipara village. “Production cost was only Tk 15,000. The rest is profit.”

Yet despite plentiful harvests, a considerable amount of jujube is damaged by falling from the tree early. Farmers say they do not have good advice how to prevent this problem. They hope the government can offer added technical support to the jujube industry.

In the meantime, after meeting local demand, truckloads of jujube are winding their way across the country, from Sharsha to Satkhira, Barisal and especially to the wholesale markets of Dhaka, for consumers to relish.