\\\'Kulboroi\\\' farming catches growers\\\' fancy in Jessore

BENAPOLE, Jan 29 (UNB): Cultivation of 'Kulboroi' (a species of plum) brings bright prospect for the farmers of Sharsha upazila in Jessore due to the fruit's good profitability compared to the inputs.
Several hundred farmers in the upazila have been able to make their fortune through farming the species of fruit, especially 'Apple Kul' and 'BAU Kul', evolved by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI).
After seeing steady growth in its profit in the recent years, the farmers have started cultivating the fruit in extended areas in their orchards and homesteads.
The fruit, cropping of which takes only four months, has embedded the dream of achieving economic self-sufficiency within a short time among the youths. Earning from the fruit has also helped change their socioeconomic status greatly.
According to the upazila agriculture office, some five hundred farmers are involved in farming of 'Kulboroi' in the upazila. Many of them have been able to come out of economic hardship through earning from the fruit.
Hirok Kumar Sarkar, upazila agriculture officer, said farmers here are cultivating different varieties of 'Kulboroi', including 'Bau Kul' and 'Apple Kul', as their prices are high in the local markets. Khurshed Alam, 45, hailing from Samta village of Sharsha upazila, has been involved in its cultivation for the last ten years.
He has raised an orchard near his house where he cultivates 'Bau Kul', 'Apple Kul' and 'Narkel Kul'.
He has cultivated 'Kul' on about eight bighas on land in his three orchards. He has to spend Tk30-32 thousand to produce the fruit on each bigha of land.
He expects that he would get profit of Tk 0.3-0.4 million this year.
Inspired by success of Khurshed Alam, many of the villagers have ventured into farming of the plum species in their orchards and homesteads.