Staff Correspondent:

The farmers of the district have made healthy profits by cultivating plums commercially this season.

Quality plums are being sold at Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,500 per maund (40 kg) at local wholesale markets.

At the primary stage of the harvest, the price was Tk 4000 to Tk 4,500 a maund.

According to sources, different varieties of plums, including Balsundari kul, Baukul, Apple kul, coconut kul and tasty kul, are being cultivated across the district.

A huge quantity of plums has appeared in markets during this winter season.

Many farmers have earned a colossal profit by selling plum in market by early harvest.

This year, different varieties of plums have been cultivated on around 330 hectares of land in the district, according to DAE sources.

Meanwhile, plum growers have expressed satisfaction over the profits they have earned by selling their produce.

Sirajul Mia, a farmer of Mashimpur area of Mithapukur Upazila, this season he has cultivated Balsundari plum on 02 bighas of land.

“There are around 400 plum trees in my orchard. I hope to produce at least 170 to 180 maunds of plums per bigha,” he said.

The farmer also said he already earned around Tk 180,000 by selling plums. He would earn more profits.

Last year, he also earned a good profit by selling the plums he produced on his land.

Roufunnai, a plum cultivator at Alampur union of Taraganj upazila, said a grower has to spend at least Tk 40,000 on cultivating plums on one bigha of land.

“About Tk 300,000 to Tk 400,000 can be earned by cultivating plums on one bigha of land,” he also said.

Now, he is selling Balsundari variety of plum produced on his land this season. He has already got a profit of Tk 150,000 by selling the fruit, the cultivator says.

As the cultivation of plums has proved lucrative, many peasants of his areas as well as his surrounding areas are showing interest in cultivating the fruit.

Motahar Hossain, a grower of Laldighi area, at Badarganj upazila, this year the price of plum is more satisfactory than that of previous years.

He has cultivated apple variety of plum on 1 bigha of land. He has already earned Tk more than Tk 160,000 from the sales of the produce in markets.

He is optimistic about earning more dividends during the rest of the season, he further said.

He also said that early harvest has helped the growers achieve a huge profit.

If the market price remains satisfying, the farmers will be more benefited and will be more interested in its cultivation next season as well, he added.

Md Reaz Uddin, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rangpur, said the soil and climate of the region are suitable for the cultivation of different fruits including plums. Due to healthy profits, a good number of peasants are showing interest in making plum orchards.

The growers get necessary advice as well as other support from DAE officials to cultivate plum commercially, he added.