PANCHAGARH, Jan 6, 2025 (BSS) - Cultivation of papaya has gained immense popularity among the farmers in the district in the last few years as many farmers found the farming of the fruit lucrative due to its huge profit.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), with the support of the local agriculture department, farming of hybrid varieties of papaya has become popular among farmers.

Many people, especially the unemployed educated youths, have received training on papaya farming and cultivate the fruit on the high fallow land where water usually does not stand, DAE office sources said.

A good number of marginal farmers, who have cultivated papaya on reddish high land of Sonaher, Tapriganj, and Sadar upazilas, ultimately changed their fate by using ultra-modern technology in agricultural processes.

As the price of the popular fruit remains unusually high in the local wholesale market due to its enriched nutritional properties, farmers are pocketing huge profits, the sources said.

Presently, a maund of papaya is being sold at Taka 1500-1600 at different kitchen markets of the district.

Some 550 to 600 saplings can be planted on each bigha of land, which produces an average of 500 to 600 maunds of papaya per year, making growers keen to cultivate the sweet and juicy fruits on their land.

Farmers said they supply papaya to different markets, including the capital city of Dhaka, after fulfilling the demands of the district.
Sunil Kumar, a farmer of Sadar upazila, said, "I have cultivated papaya on my one bigha of land . . . I have earned about Tk 70,000 by selling papaya without farming costs."

Another farmer, Altab of Nuton Bandar village, said, "Last year, I planted 300 papaya saplings on my 30 decimals of land. I have already earned Taka 20,000."

He is now expecting to make a profit of Taka 30,000 from his land.
Debiganj upazila Krishi Officer Md Nayim Morshed told BSS that papaya farming is more lucrative as it is less expensive. High land, apart from land with less sand, is comparatively suitable for papaya farming, he added.

Deputy Director of DAE, Panchagarh, Abdul Matin, said they are providing necessary training and advice to cultivators visiting crop fields so that farmers can get a bumper yield of the fruits.

"Less cost apart from less time is encouraging farmers to grow the fruits on their land," Abdul Matin added.