Farmers want to cut orange orchards in Thakurgaon!

The Dhaka Times Desk Despite the potential, the orange farmers of Thakurgaon are in trouble as the activities of the orange development project have been stopped. Due to lack of advice and support, orange production has decreased due to various diseases. Farmers are deciding to cut the garden in the face of loss!

It is revealed that since the soil is suitable for orange cultivation, the Ministry of Agriculture undertook a 5-year orange development project in Thakurgaon in 2006 to expand orange cultivation. The activities of the project started by providing training to 5 thousand 490 farmers and providing 94 thousand 400 seedlings to encourage orange cultivation on a commercial basis. In a short time, 225 orange orchards were built on 148 hectares of land including homesteads in Sadar and Ranishankail upazilas of the district. Farmers started reaping the benefits of this potential orange cultivation. But before the success of the project, all activities of the project were stopped due to the expiry of the project in June last year. Project officials were also transferred elsewhere. As a result, orange growers are in trouble without getting the necessary advice. The gardens are being destroyed due to exposure, yield rot and leaf roll diseases. Kanai Lal Barman of Yakubpur village of Sadar Upazila said, in 2001, we started an orchard with 43 orange trees of Khasia, Mandarin and Nagpuri varieties on 10th century land. With the advice of project officials, the garden became profitable. Along with oranges, we also set up nurseries for its trees. But now after the closure of the project I am in trouble. The garden has been damaged due to various diseases. No advice is available from the agriculture department either.

Badar Uddin and Khokon Mia, orange growers of Gilabari village, said that it is not known what disease the tree is affected by. If this continues, I have decided to cut this garden before next year and plant other crops. Belayet Hossain, deputy director of the agriculture department, said that it is necessary to launch the project to continue the success of orange cultivation on a commercial basis. Farmers have demanded the implementation of this project on an urgent basis.