Betel-nut farmers, traders worried about low price

LALMONIRHAT, Sept 29: Local betel-nut farmers and traders have got frustrated due to its low price in the district this year.
Betel nut, one of the popular items, has a huge demand both in rural and urban areas of the country.
In every house in rural and urban areas, most people have planted betel-nut trees surrounding the homesteads. Betel nut is very popular item after meal in most houses.
Nowadays, many farmers commercially planted betel nut trees in their croplands due to its lucrative price. But this year the price of betel nut is very lower than the previous year's.
Traders and farmers said that the prices of betel nut are very lower due to its huge production.
A stockist, Hayder Ali, of Borobari hat area said due to nor'wester most trees were affected and later extreme heatwave, sunny weather most betel nut were ripens early in the trees before its maturity.
As a result these early ripen betel nuts are lost its colour and partially rotten under the soil.
Mr Ali said this year he preserved 800 kawns (1 kawn=1280 pieces) in the current season but the price is very low. Last year, he purchased one kawn betel nuts at Tk 6,500 but now selling at only Tk 5000- 5300.
Like him, Manik Mia and Mahabub Ali, other traders of the area, said the same story.
Manik Mia who kept 500 kawn betel nuts in the current season .Hi will also incur huge loss due to low price.
Abe Ali, a farmer of Palashi union under Aditmari upazilla of the district, said he planted 3500 betel nut trees and 150 old trees surrounding his homestead.
He is hoping that most trees will give birth in the next season. He said that betelnuts trees are very profitable. Most old trees of my garden are giving birth from last two decades.
"I sold Tk 250- 300 per tree every year. Its branches can use as firewood and it does not make any harm for the other crops .So a farmer can benefited farming betel nuts trees."
Farmers said that the price of betel nut will be very high in the coming season as production of most trees in the northern and Khulna region was affected due to heavy sunlight and heatwave.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Lalmonirhat said 514 hectares of land is under betel nut farming in the district and more than 0.15 million (15 lakhs) trees are now giving birth more or less.
Shaikhul Arefin, deputy director of the DAE in Lalmonirhat, said every farmer in rural village has betel nut trees in their homestead.
In recent year, many farmers made commercial betel nut garden for its good price and it has become popular among farmers.

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