Success in Darjeeling variety orange, malta cultivation

Abdul Karim in Jashore's Monirampur upazila has achieved success by growing and selling oranges and maltas of Darjeeling variety.

Initially, Karim, 52, brought one bigha of land under orange and malta cultivation. After getting bumper yield and fair prices, he has cultivated the fruits on 15 bighas of land.

Seeing his success in the fruit farming, many people have started cultivating oranges and maltas of the varieties, said locals. 

Karim of Mujgunni village said he cultivated the fruits on one bigha of land on experimental basis and found success in growing the delicious oranges and maltas a few years ago.

"Five and half years ago, I bought 125 saplings of maltas and 25 saplings of orange of the Darjeeling varieties from Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation in Jashore. Over a year after plantation, it was found that it had been good yield," he said.

 

Karim added that in the first phase, total income and costs were equal. The following year, he earned around Tk 2.50 lakh while the next two years, Tk 4 lakh was earned from selling the fruits of the foreign varieties.

"This time, I have earned Tk six lakh from selling the oranges and maltas," he said, adding that the taste of the varieties is much better than any other oranges and maltas in the markets. The fruits are quite large in size.

Every day people from different places are flocking to see his garden and take saplings from there.

Zakir Hossain from Patkelghata in Satkhira said "I mainly cultivate kulboroi. I heard about Karim, who found success in cultivating oranges and maltas of Darjeeling varieties. I have recently come to see his garden and taken 400 saplings of oranges and maltas from there."

Karim said educated youths in the country are now looking for jobs. By cultivating these fruits, they can be self-sufficient.

He is now cultivating the fruits on 15 bighas of land.

Karim said he regularly sprays pesticides in the fruit land. Large size oranges and maltas have been sold at TK 130 per kg.

Karim added that "I invested Tk 25 lakh in the venture in the last few years. I hope I will be able to sell fruits worth TK 50 to Tk 60 lakh in the coming year."

Apart from fruits, Karim sold saplings of oranges and maltas. Around 20,000 saplings are sold from his land every year.

Monirampur upazila agriculture officer Hirak Kumar Sarkar said, after seeing the success of Abdul Karim, about 150 bighas of land in the upazila have been brought under the Darjeeling variety fruit cultivation.

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