KURIGRAM, Apr 10 (UNB): Weak marketing system and lack of adequate preservation facilities have kept the prospect of strawberry farming in Kurigram in a dreary state.
Growers are also dismayed at the poor sale of the fruit that is cultivated worldwide and appreciated for its characteristic aroma, bright red color, juicy texture, and sweetness.
Besides, there have not been seen any effective efforts from the sides of the government and non-government organisations for uplift of this sector of agriculture.
As a result, strawberry cultivation, which could have been much promising, has shrunk to a great extent.
A very small number of people are now involved in strawberry farming here, and most of them take it just as a pastime.
Nabiul Islam, a former executive engineer of Local Government Engineering Department, has cultivated strawberry on 10 decimals of land at the garden of local LGED office in Chhinai union taking it as a diversion.
He said a lot of care and money is needed from plating to fruit bearing stages for strawberry farming.
Compared to the production cost, the crop does not give so much yield and the fruit also does not have much demand in the market as well.
But Idris Ali, a strawberry grower of Halokhana Sonnashi village, said he had cultivated strawberry on seven decimals of land in 2011 and earned Tk 0.7 million from it.
After seeing his tremendous success, a few farmers in the district were enthusiastic to go for massive cultivation of this sweet and nutritious fruit.
At least 45 farmers of the district had taken training for it. But they did not get any profit from strawberry cultivation, he said.
Idris Ali believed that poor marketing arrangements were the main obstacle behind their loss.
Idris Ali said at first he received three-day training from Prof Dr M Manjur Hossain, a teacher of Rajshahi University, who specialises in strawberry farming, in March, 2009.
Later he planted 50 saplings of strawberry on his yard.
Seeing the red fruit in the plants, he become overwhelmed with joy and expanded its cultivation from 50 to 1200.
In 2011, he cultivated strawberry on 20 decimals of land.
This time, getting no profit from it he cultivated strawberry only on 2/3 decimals of land just to meet the local demand.
Sources said sandy and loamy soil is suitable for strawberry cultivation; birds are the enemy of the fruit.
Strawberry saplings are to be planted in rows from mid-October to November.
The plants start flowering within one month of plantation and fruits can be collected from January to March.
If the weather remains favourable, half a kg strawberry can be collected from one plant.
People are less interested in strawberry as they are not well aware of the nutrition value of the fruit.
Ripe strawberries get rotten shortly after plucking but they can be persevered in refrigerator for seven days.
Farid Hossain, a strawberry trader, said he bought one kg strawberry at Tk150 from Dinajpur which is sold at Tk 180/200 in Kurigram.
Shawkat Ali, deputy director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Kurigram, said the soil and weather of the district are good for strawberry cultivation.
Strawberry is such a fruit which is enriched with potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium, calcium, copper, iron and vitamin B and C, he added.
