Banana cultivation getting a boost in Pabna

PABNA, Oct 15: Commercial cultivation of banana is gaining popularity among the farmers here as it proves more profitable than other crops.
Some 355 hectares of land have been brought under banana cultivation this year. Farmers are showing interest in banana cultivation as it needs less fertiliser and irrigation compared to paddy.
Many farmers of sadar, Chatmohar, Ishwardi and Atghoria upazilas in the district have been cultivating various high-yielding variety of banana including Shitalong Shabri, Sagar Shapla and Kanchanpora commercially. Besides, many jobless youths of the district become self-reliant through the farming of banana.
Swapan Kumar Sarkar of Narayanpur village of Sadar Upazila has become self-reliant in a year by cultivating banana.
He now has 1200 banana trees in his orchard and has already earned Tk 0.12 million by selling banana. He is optimistic that he would be able to earn a profit of Tk 0.3 to 0.4 million by this year-end.
Banana cultivator Shakhawat Hossain of Mozidpur said he has been earning a good profit cultivating banana on commercial basis for the last several years.
Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Md Mostafizur Rahman said they encouraged the farmers to cultivate banana on a large scale. He said high quality saplings are being supplied from Tebuniua horticulture centre to boost production.

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