Sugarcane farming is gradually gaining popularity among farmers in Khagrachhari as the farmers there have been making profits every year for its high demand in the rest of the country.

With an attractive colour on its outer skin, the sweet and long sugarcane grown in Khagrachhari is high in demand throughout the year. Farmers in the district however are making good profits especially when the crop is not available in other parts of the country during floods. 

According to Bangladesh Sugarcrop Research Institute’s (BSRI) Khagrachhari office, an estimated of 2.5 crore pieces of sugarcane is expected to be harvested from 340 hectares of land in Khagrachhari this year and about 3,500 families would directly benefit from the cultivation.

Last year, the crop was cultivated on 320 hectares of land in the district.

Senior Scientific Officer Dibakar Chakma of BSRI in Khagrachhari said sugarcane farming is on the rise in Khagrachhari because the land is not flood-prone and its soil is suitable for cultivation of the long and highly sweet variety of sugarcane.

Paltu Chakma, a farmer in Kamalchhari village of Khagrachhari Sadar upazila, said he started sugarcane farming two years ago and this year he spent Tk 1.5 lakh to cultivate sugarcane on one acre of land.

He hoped that he would earn Tk 3 lakh from sale when the crop will be ready to harvest in two to three months.

Seasonal fruit trader Chhabi Marma, said after buying a piece of sugarcane at Tk 10 to 16 from farmers in Khagrachhari, he sells it for around Tk 30 at markets in Noakhali, Cumilla and Dhaka.