Jackfruit farmers in Jhenidah are worried as fungal infection has affected fruits on the trees. 

Some orchard owners of Nijputia village under Jhenidah Sadar upazila said large spots develop on the fruit and spoil it. Some farmers said they applied fungicides on the fruits when they noticed the infestation, but that could not check the spread of the disease.

Alam Hossain of Nijputia village said he did not know about the disease, and even the agriculture officers could not tell them about it or what to do to fight it.

Amjad Hossain, a jackfruit grower of Enayetpur village under Kaliganj upazila, said they would get good profit by selling jackfruit, but due to this disease they are not getting it.

Agriculture officials say there is no reason to worry as the disease could be managed with fungicides.

Contacted, Dr Khan Mohammad Muniruzzaman, an officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Jhenidah Sadar, said the attack could be controlled by applying anti-fungal medicine during the immature stage of the jackfruits.

The DAE official said most farmers, especially the orchard owners in the area, are not aware enough about orchard management as the fruits in the area are not produced on a commercial basis on vast tracts of land like in the surrounding districts.

The DAE has been providing training to the orchard owners on plant management through farmers' field days (FFD) and training so that they could save the plants from attacks by pests and diseases, the UAO said.