Strawberry farming expands in Joypurhat

BOGRA, Mar 08: A good number of farmers of Sadar upazila in Joypurhat are becoming self-reliant by cultivating strawberry.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), a total of 20 hectares of land have been brought under strawberry cultivation with around 800 tonnes of production target this season
The cultivation of the juicy fruit is increasing every year in the upazila for the repeated bumper yield and lucrative market prices, DAE added.   
Some growers of the area said strawberry cultivation in Khejurtola, Chanda, Shahapur, Jagodishpur, Dogachi, Dalomda and Durgapur villages started in 2014 on experimental basis. That time the growers had brought only 10 hectares of land under the farming of the crop.
Yunus Ali, a farmer of Shahpur village said, "The demand for the fruit continues to rise day by day. The wholesalers visit the area more often to purchase it from the cultivators directly."
Ashraful Alam, another grower of Chanda village, said he had brought a bigha of land under the cultivation of strawberry, rich in vitamin C, this season spending Tk 0.1 million.
He expects to get 40 maunds of production of the fruit and make a profit of Tk 0.2 million if the weather condition remains favourable till the last week of Bangla month Chaitra.
A farmer can get minimum 90 to 100 maunds of strawberry from an acre of land and per kg of the fruit is being sold in the local kitchen market at Tk 300 to Tk 500, said farmer Rahman Hossain of Khajutola village. He further said, "I will cultivate the fruit in three bighas of land in the coming season if I get good yield and fair prices this season", he added.
DAE official said the farmers of the area are benefited by cultivating the fruit as the farmers are making a net profit of Tk 50,000 to Tk 60,000 from per bigha of land. "The department provides all necessary support to the growers to make the fruit cultivation successful, he added.
Farmers and local traders of the area urge the authority concerned to take steps to set up cold storage to save the delicate fruit from rotting.
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