DHAKA, Aug 17, 2024 (BSS) - Rahela Begum of Dattargoan village under Shibpur upazila of Narsingdi district became helpless after the death of her husband in a fatal road accident last year. It was really hard for Rahela to run her five-member family.
 
 One day, she met her school friend Jobeda and sought her help to get loan. Jobeda helped her and advised to cultivate Colombo lemon at her fellow land. After getting advice, she started farming 'Colombo Lemon' on her lands and started getting success.
 
 A number of unemployed educated women have changed their fortune by farming Colombo Lemon in the highlands of Monohardi, Shibpur, Raipura and Belabo upazilas of Narsingdi district in the last twelve years.
 
 The unemployed women have started cultivation of Colombo lemon on a small scale on an experimental basis in four upazilas of the district and achieved remarkable success. Their success encourages many others to cultivate and raise orchards of the juicy and extraordinary flavor fruit.
 
 Seeing the interest of the farmers and found climate and soil of the district suitable for Colombo lemon cultivation, the Department Agriculture Extension (DAE) on 2012 has taken a programme to cultivate export quality lemon in four upazilas- Shibpur, Belabo, Monohardi and Raipura of the district.
 
 Under the programme, a total of 50 new orchards of Colombo lemon (each orchard spread one bigha) were set up in the four upazilas of the district.
 
 The DAE supplied 160 saplings of Colombo lemon to each grower of the orchards and imparted them training on producing quality lemon.
 
 Besides, some farmers in different areas of the district raised a number of orchards by their own initiative and they are at present harvesting good quality lemon from their orchards.
 
According to the DAE Narsingdi, youths and women farmers in four upazilas of the district at present cultivating Colombo lemon in 2200 orchards on 480 hectares land. This year, they have so far produced over 5200 metric tons of lemon in the district.
 
 Rahela Begum of Dattargoan village under Shibpur upazila of the district started lemon cultivation on 30 decimals lands in 2006. She succeeded in cultivating the Calombo lemon and gradually raised the garden by planting 800 saplings on 120 decimals of land and the plants growing well.
 
 This year she got excellent production from her gardens. She expressed her satisfaction for earning so far Taka 3,00,000 selling the lemon this season.
 
 Another farmer Jamila Khatun of Lakshimipur village under Raipura upazila of the district also narrated her successful story cultivating the Colombo lemon in her 300 decimals land.
 
 She said this year so far she earned Taka 7,00,000 by selling lemon from her garden.
 
 Deputy Director, Department of Agriculture Extension, Narsingdi Shovan Kumar Dhar said that Colombo lemon has great demand in the local markets and other distance markets.
 
 Now, this variety of lemon is exporting abroad, especially European countries and Middle East countries. Each Kilogram Calombo lemon is being sold at Taka 50 to Taka 60 in the local markets which contain only four to five.
 
 He said April, May and June are the best season for harvesting Calombo lemon. He hopes this year Narsingdi district will be exported over 2000 metric tons of Colombo lemon to foreign countries.
 
 The Deputy Director said Calombo lemon tree generally grows on high fallow lands where scope of other crop cultivation is limited. Some 200 saplings can be planted on per bigha of land.