MAGURA, May 21: It's the month of May, season for the pink blush litchi. Clusters of the pink-red fruits are covering the areas of 50 villages in four upazilas of the district.
However, three unions- Hazrapur, Hazipur and Raghobdayeer in Magura Sadar upazila, which stand beside the Magura-Jhenidah highway, are the main attractions in this connection as most of the farmers in the villages of the unions now cultivate litchi on their lands instead of traditional crops like paddy and jute, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials in Magura.
While talking to The Daily Observer, Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer (UAO) Mohammad Ruhul Amin said, "Farmers in the district are now growing litchi in 2,500 orchards on 570 hectares of land in the district, of which at least 75 per cent are located in different villages of Hazrapur, Hazipur and Raghobdayeer unions. Commercial litchi cultivation started there around 24 years ago."
Expressing his optimism, the UAO said, "This season farmers in the district will be able to sell litchis of at least 20 crore taka. Meanwhile, they have already sold litchi worth around Tk 16 crore."
Magura grows about one fourth of the entire litchi grown in 10 south-western districts. At least 5,000 people have been making their living from first week of this month engaging them in the harvesting process of litchi.
While talking to this correspondent, the UAO further said, Ichhakhada, Hazrapur, Pucca-Kanchanpur, Mithapur, Utholi, Khalimpur, Nandalalpur, Hazipur, Narihati, Gouricharanpur, Sachani, Alaipur, Birpur, Nawapara, Malanchi and Jodhpara villages under Hazrapur, Hazipur and Raghobdyeer unions are producing the most litchi this year due to favourable weather during the flowering season in February and March.
Yusuf Ali, a litchi grower of Ichhakhada village in Hazrapur union, echoing the same sentiment to the UAO, said that he has already sold litchi worth Tk 7 lakh from five orchards on 10 acres of land and is hoping to earn at least one lakh taka more from the same orchards.
Abu Jafar, a farmer in Hazrapur said that he earned Tk 1.65 lakh from his orchards on two acres of land.
While talking to this correspondent, Mukul Kazi, a litchi farmer at Ichhakhada village said, "At least five thousand people are now engaged with 2,500 litchi orchards in harvesting process from plucking to bundling and marketing of the delicious fruits." Of the total litchi grown in the district, 35 per cent are Bombay variety, 25 per cent Hazrapuri (local), 15 per cent Mozaffarpuri, five per cent Bedana and the rest are China varieties, according to DAE officials in Magura.
Several varieties like China-1, China-3, Hazrapuri, Bedana and Mozaffarpuri have already hit the market while people have to wait for Bombay variety for at least a week more, growers said.
"As it is the peak harvesting season of litchi now, wholesale traders from Dhaka, Faridpur, Barisal, Manikganj, Jhenidah, Jessore, Satkhira, Madaripur and even from Chittagong have already poured in the area", said Milon Mia, a litchi grower of Ichhakhada village. Everyday at least two truckloads of litchi are taken to different parts of the country from the orchards in the areas, Milon informed.
Saiful Mia, a wholesale trader from Madaripur said, "We purchase per thousand pieces of China-3 variety litchi at Tk 2,500 to 3,000 while Mozaffarpuri, Hazrapuri and other varieties at Tk 2,000 from the growers."
At local markets, per 100-piece of China-3 variety is selling between Tk 350 to 400 while other varieties including Hazrapuri and Mozaffarpuri at Tk 300, according to market sources in Magura.
