Mir Khairul Alam, Satkhira:

Cultivation of plum, especially Bau-Kul and Apple Kul varieties developed by Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI), has started gaining popularity in Satkhira district that opens a new horizon in the economic sector.

It has already started to grab the markets of different other districts including capital city Dhaka after fulfilling local demand.

Numerous farmers of the district now dream to make huge profits by cultivating it at a large scale on their lands in future. Every year in the winter season, farmers of the region see a huge profit from this mouth watering fruits.

According to the information of the Department of Agriculture, as the soil of Satkhira is suitable for various types of Kul cultivation, farmers of the region have been started commercially Kul cultivation on their lands since 2000.

This year, Kul cultivation has spread to seven upazilas of the district. Of them, 470 hectares of land have brought under Kul cultivation in Kalaroa upazila, 165 hectares in Tala upazila, 112 hectares in Satkhira Sadar upazila, 45 hectares in Kaliganj upazila, 25 hectares in Shyamnagar upazila, 20 hectares in Asashun upazila and 4 hectares in Debhata upazila of the district.

Kul saplings are transplanted in rows in the fields of different areas including on the embankments of fish enclosures or on fallow lands. As a result of advanced technology, Kul tree does not take a large shape, so it can be cultivated easily anywhere.

Currently, farmers have started collecting early varieties of Kul from various gardens in the district. Farmers are getting good profit as the market price is higher. Even many people in different areas are overcoming unemployment problems by Kul farming.

This year, both the yield and prices are quite good. Currently, sweet Kul is being sold at a price of Tk 120 to Tk 150 in the local market. And sour Kul is being sold at a price of Tk 80 to Tk 60. In addition, several hundred of workers are involved in preserving and marketing of the Kul Boroi. Every day, these workers are keeping busy in maintaining and preserving of the Kul in the field level for selling.

Entrepreneur Md. Al Mamun of Bhairab Nagar area said, “I am an imam of a mosque. I sell Kul in front of my mosque on the Satkhira-Khulna highway. This is my part-time job. Satkhira’s Kul is famous all over the country, especially Mithabari’s Kul. Here, different varieties of Kul are available including coconut Kul, sour Kul and Thai Apple Kul. The price of Kul in the market is going up day by day, which makes us profitable.”

Punjab Ali Biswas, a Kul farmer from Mithabari area of ​​Satkhira Nagarghata Union, said, “I have been cultivating and running business of Kul for a long time. This year, I have cultivated Kul on four bighas of land and sold Kul worth Tk 4 lakh so far. There are different varieties of Kul in my garden including coconut Kul, Thai Apple Kul, Bol Sundari and even sour Kul. Among them, the price of coconut Kul is high.  Per kg of this tyepe of Kul is being sold over Tk 200. At least 100 maunds of Kul are produced in per bigha of land and there is a profit of Tk 1 lakh after deducting the cost.

Satkhira Agricultural Extension Department Deputy Director, Agriculturist Md. Saiful Islam said, “Our field-level agricultural officers are providing advice and assistance to the Kul farmers. If the weather is favorable, the Kul farmers of the district will earn more than Tk 150 crore as profit.”

In addition to meeting the demand in the domestic market, Satkhira’s Kul has also created huge potential for export.

Eminent people said that if government sponsorship is received, it is possible to earn foreign exchange through Kul export, which will have a positive impact on the country’s economy.”