Low yield frustrates Moulvibazar litchi growers

Litchi growers in Moulvibazar fear a low production of the juicy summer fruit this year due to unfavourable weather condition during the peak time of flowering.

Local farmers said production of the fruit was badly hampered due to the drought like situation and lack of adequate rainfall.

As a result, most of the litchi trees could not flowered during the flowering season, while the sizes of fruit is also smaller than the usual one.

Moreover, wild animals like squirrels, bats and different kinds of birds often damaging the litchi, forcing many growers to sell their unripe litchi in advance.

Abdus Shahid, a fruit seller in Moulvibazar town, said currently there is no quality litchi available in the market as the area hardly saw any rainfall during the flowering of the fruit that has a high demand.

According to Moulvibazar Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Office and local litchi growers, the fruit is available in different hilly areas of the district since the end of the Bangla month of Baishakh, but it started entering different markets of the town a few days ago.Now the summer fruit is being sold at Chaumohana Intersection, Court Road, Shamshernagar Road, Pashchim Bazar, Kusumbagh, Chandni Ghat and many other areas of the town. Traders said they were selling 100 litchi at Tk 200 to Tk 250, depending on its size.

One of the wholesale traders Zahid Mia said although there are at least seven to ten litchi trees at some houses in Barbari, Barshijora and Pahar Barshijora villages, but the yield has drastically fall this year due to the unfavourable weather condition.

Farmer Humayun Kabir of Burutla village said most of the litchis in his area got damaged due to scanty rainfall and the drought like weather condition.

While talking to this correspondent, a number of traders in the district expressed their concern over counting a huge loss this season.

Moulvibazar DAE Deputy Director Shamsuddin Ahmed said farmers in different areas of the district planted litchi trees on about 244 hectares land.