Guava, hog plum growers fear poor harvest

Growers of guava and hog plum in Pirojpur and Jhalakathi districts are worried over a possible poor production due to unfavourable weather and the aftermath of cyclone Remal.

In fact, the harvest of seasonal guava in the region has been delayed by a month already.

Guava is commercially cultivated in Pirojpur's Nesarabad and Jhalakathi's Sadar upazilas, while hog plum is grown in all upazilas in the two districts. These two fruits are main cash crops for growers in Nesarabad and Jhalakathi Sadar.

"High temperature during flowering time this year hampered production of both seasonal fruits. Then Remal caused further damage to the trees and buds. The fruits did not grow well due to a lack of rain," said Sunil Biswas, a cultivator from Adamkathi village in Nesarabad.

"Guava harvesting is expected to begin in full swing within two weeks and will continue for a couple of months. This year, however, the harvest has been delayed due to the inclement weather condition," he added.

Wholesale buyers from across the country collect guava from Nesarabad and Jhalakathi Sadar and then transport the fruits by trucks, said guava growers.

Hundreds of large hog plum trees with fruits and buds were uprooted in the two districts as Remal lashed the southern coastal belt on May 26.

Birendranath, a hog plum grower, said, "It takes at least five years for a hog plum tree to become productive, and it will produce fruit continuously for over 20 years. Many trees got uprooted in the cyclone. It will not only lower the output this year but also in future, as it will take years for new trees to become productive."

Swapan Halder, another cultivator, echoed him.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, guava has been cultivated in 846 hectares of land in Pirojpur and 320 hectares in Jhalakathi Sadar.

Also, hog plum has been cultivated on 507 hectares of land in Pirojpur and 140 hectares in Jhalakathi Sadar.

Contacted, Chapal Krishna Nath, upazila agriculture officer in Nesarabad, confirmed a month's delay in guava harvesting. "Normally, guava harvest begins by mid-June every year. This year, it got delayed considerably and will begin mid-July," he said.

Ali Ahmad, upazila agriculture officer in Jhalakathi Sadar, said that the production of guava and hog plum in his upazila will be lower this year due to unfavourable weather and the impact of the cyclone.