BENAPOLE, Oct 23: After guava cultivation on nine bighas of land failed to bring the desired profit for Sajal Hossain, growing malta since 2014 enabled him to steadily grow his income as well as the size of his orchard.
The first couple of years brought little return, but now, Sajal, a farmer from Manikpur village in Jibannagar upazila of Chuadanga, owns a 35-bigha of mixed fruit orchard - dominated by malta trees, and producing dragon fruit, oranges, and grapes.
"Since I started cultivation in 2014, I have sold around Tk 1.25 crore (12.5 million) worth of malta and another Tk 75 lakh (7.5 million) worth of other fruits," Sajal said.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), malta is now cultivated on 232 hectares of land in Jibannagar Upazila, the highest in the district. The largest single orchard is located in Damurhuda upazila. Altogether, Chuadanga's four upazilas have 975 malta growers cultivating the fruit on 326 hectares of land - 20 hectares in Sadar, 46 in Damurhuda, and 28 in Alamdanga. This season, a total of 4,160 tonnes of malta were produced across the district, generating around Tk 210 million in sales.
When it comes to malta farming in Chuadanga, one name is mentioned by almost every grower - Sakhawat Hossain Babul. A pioneering agricultural entrepreneur from Bhagirathpur village under Natipota union of Damurhuda upazila, Babul was the first to establish a large-scale malta orchard in the district.
In late 2013, he purchased 20 saplings of the BARI Malta-1 variety from the Khulna Agricultural Research Institute for Tk 2,000 and planted them on 40 bighas of land along the banks of the Moragang River that flows through Hogoldanga, Natipota, and Bhagirathpur villages. His initiative marked the beginning of commercial malta farming in Chuadanga.
Agricultural officials said Babul was recognised in 2019 as the owner of the country's largest malta orchard and received a national award for his contribution.
Days before he died on October 13 while undergoing treatment in Dhaka, Babul said he was always passionate about agriculture despite working in government service. He started malta cultivation from that passion and began marketing his produce in 2017. Over the years, he expanded his orchard to 46 bighas.
Masudur Rahman Sarkar, deputy director of the DAE in Chuadanga, said that various varieties - including BARI-1, BARI-2, BARI-3, Grade Green Ruby, Morocco, Pakistan, Africa, and Vietnam - are being cultivated. "Chuadanga now supplies malta to Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, and Chattogram," he said. "The fruit contributes 20-25 per cent to the district's agricultural economy."
According to Saiful Islam, an assistant agriculture officer in Damurhuda, domestic malta tends to have a greenish-yellow color compared to the bright yellow of imported ones. "Local malta sells at a lower price, which has increased its popularity," he said.
Upazila Agriculture Extension Officer Abhijit Kumar Biswas added that malta is rich in vitamin C and highly beneficial for human health. "We are providing farmers with technical guidance and support," he said.
Deputy Director Masudur Rahman Sarkar said, "Chuadanga is leading the country in malta cultivation, and production continues to grow every year."
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