DAE takes up programme to help farmers produce canker-free lemon, vegetables

Yasir Wardad The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has taken up a programme to help farmers produce canker and thrips-free lemon and vegetables to boost agricultural export. The programme styled 'Exportable citrus and vegetable production special programme' has been initiated in 25 upazilas under 8 districts to produce bacteria and pest-free 'jara' lemon and vegetables, a key official at the plant protection wing of DAE said. He said the programme has targeted to help farmers grow thrips and other pest-free eggplants, bitter gourd, kakrol and other gourd varieties and canker-free lemon. "The country restarted export of 'jara' lemon to EU and other destinations last year. DAE helped farmers in producing canker-free lemon," monitoring and evaluation officer of the programme Md Torikul Islam said. He said in 2011-12, they set up 50 new lemon orchards and brought 50 old ones under proper management. "In the current fiscal year, we have targeted to set up 650 lemon orchards and to bring 500 old ones under our management in Dhaka, Narsingdi, Gazipur, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Comilla and Bogra districts." "We are following 'Council Directives-2000/29/EC' in producing citrus, vegetable and other fruits to increase shipment of the produce to EU countries", he said. Apart from citrus, a total of 700 spots will come under production of thrips-free eggplants, various kinds of gourds, kakrol in the 25 uapzilas, he said. Torikul informed the FE that the country's citrus export to European countries was virtually stopped due to a restriction imposed by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) of the UK in 2008. Torikul, also a plant pathologist, said the UK is the largest importer of jara lemon from Bangladesh; other European countries also followed UK after DEFRA pronounced the restriction. He said that DEFRA claimed that the peels of citrus from Bangladesh were bruised and discoloured due to citrus canker, black spot and leaf spot infections. Officials at DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), and Hortex Foundation worked in collaboration to overcome the situation and found out that citruses from Narsingdi and Bandarban districts were not affected by the diseases mentioned above. Director of the programme Md Tajul Islam Patwary said export of citrus fruits comprised 20 per cent of the total fruit export from the country in last fiscal year and it will increase in the current fiscal year thanks to expansion of orchards. He also pointed out that the exporters have to provide profitable price to the farmers to boost production. "Many of the exporters depend on third parties to buy produce from the farmers. It deprives farmers of profitable price," he said. "We are suggesting exporters at our workshops to orient with a direct market linkage --- from growers to exporters --- to boost production as well as shipments," he added. According to the DAE, fruit export in the FY 2011-12 was nearly 1,200 tonnes amounting to more than US$ 57 million.