Strawberry cultivation in Bangladesh, prospects, importance and high profit encourages farmers to grow

Strawberry cultivation in Bangladesh, prospects, importance and high profit encourages farmers to grow

High profit and easy cultivation encouraged ‘innovative farmers’ to grow strawberry, an exotic fruit crop, in different parts of the country, particularly in northern districts, Department of Agriculture Extension officials and strawberry researchers said.

 They emphasized on smooth ‘packaging or marketing facilities’ for strawberry, a succulent fruit popular in different parts of the world for its taste, colour and flavour, either under the initiative of the government or private sector for promoting its cultivation in the country.

 They also stressed on setting up processing units to preserve and value addition to strawberry through making juice, and extracting essence and flavor for using in other high value products.

 Manzur Hossain, who is a pioneer in the country’s strawberry research, told New Age that strawberry cultivation was increasing in Bangladesh day by day.

 Describing strawberry as ‘nutritious fruit’ and also a ‘cash crop’, he said strawberry could play an important role in fulfilling nutrition and also earning foreign currency through exports.

 Manzur Hossain, professor of Botany at Rajshahi University, said the first variety of strawberry was brought to Bangladesh in 1996 and it took 12 years to develop the  varieties suitable for cultivation in Bangladesh.

 About 4,000 bighas of land are currently under strawberry cultivation, he said.

 According to DAE agriculture information services, strawberry cultivation is predominant in Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Panchagar and Jessore. Strawberry cultivation starts in October-November while harvest continues from January to March. Each strawberry plant gives about 32 fruits on an average and per hectare production is estimated at 10-12 tonnes.

 Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute has invented a high yielding variety called ‘BARI Strawberry-1. Besides Rajshahi University developed some strawberry varieties—RU straberry-1,2, and 3 while modern horticulture center in Natore developed Modern Strawberry-1, 2, 3, 4 and 5—all suitable for cultivation in Bangladesh, according to DAE.

 Visiting some markets, New Age correspondent found that strawberry was selling in retails at Tk 400-500 per kg in New Market while Tk 300-400 in Azimpur and Farmgate areas.

 Nurul Amin, DAE deputy director in Rahshahi, told New Age that farmers were found very interested in Strawberry cultivation in Rajshahi as they were getting benefit of the crop.

 Some farmers themselves were engaged in marketing strawberry from field to supermarkets and capital Dhaka, he said.

 A senior field service wing official said as huge investment was required in strawberry cultivation, poor farmers could not cultivate the crop. But the innovative farmers who farm strawberry were getting ‘double benefit’ from its cultivation.

 Mahfuz Hossain Mirdah, deputy project director of integrated quality horticulture development project at DAE, expressed his frustration over prospect of strawberry cultivation in Bangladesh due to low local consumption and lack of infrastructure facilities.

 ‘Strawberry is genetically a perishable fruit, which cannot tolerate stress like tomato does,’ he said.

 Besides, the strawberry growers need to count about 25 per cent loss of post-harvest crop, Mirdah said, adding that it was necessary for scientists to develop strawberry of sweet and stress tolerant varieties to attract consumers and make the fruit more suitable for Bangladesh.