Magura litchi growers, traders eye good profit

Litchi growers and traders in Magura are expecting good profits this season due to high yield and better prices of their produce.

Local litchi growers said the yield is quite high this year due to favourable weather condition and hope to earn a good profit then the previous years.

Harvesting of the mouth-watering fruit started from April 15 and will continue till mid-June. 

Currently they are passing busy time in harvesting the Bombay variety, growers said.

According to Magura Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), around 640 hectares of land in four upazilas of the district have been brought under litchi cultivation this year, while the target was around 8,975 tonnes.

Alongside the Bombay variety, different local varieties of litchis are being produced at Hazrapur, Sachani, Lautara, Baromile, Ramnagar, Dariapur and Nandalalpur villages in Magura Sadar upazila. 

A number of farmers said as the soil of the district is suitable for litchi cultivation litchi orchards need little care all the year round.

They applied compost fertilizer and phosphate and got a good production due to favourable weather this year.

Farmer Moslem Sardar of Hazrapur village said he has a total of 125 litchi trees in his orchard.

Fortunately, as there was no natural disaster like storm or untimely rainfall this season he got about 14,000 to 15,000 litchis from each tree, which was only 6,000 to 6,500 last year, Moslem said.

Ohid Hossain, a litchi trader from Sachani village said Magura's litchi is very tasty and it has a good demand in other parts of the country, especially in the capital.

Every year, wholesalers from different districts across the country come to the district to buy litchi and sale those to different markets, Ohid said, adding that he bought four separate orchards at Sachini and Hazrapur villages for Tk 2 lakh.

Rokeya Khatun, a female worker, said she earns Tk 500 daily by sorting litchi at a local orchard.

Magura DAE Deputy Director Sufi Mohammad Rafikuzzaman said farmers got good yield of litchi as there was no storm or pest attack this season.

He said harvesting of litchi and its trade creates a short-term job opportunity for nearly 25,000 workers, including girls and housewives.