One of the advantages of growing sapodilla (sabeda) is that it generally needs no chemical pesticides, and no artificial chemicals are needed to ripen the fruit. As a safe and healthy fruit, it is becoming more popular with buyers by the day.
Nutritionists say sapodilla contains various important minerals including calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, sodium and zinc, making it known as a nutrient-rich fruit.
The fruit’s English name is sapodilla and its scientific name Manilkara zapota. This perennial evergreen tree grows easily in Bangladesh’s climate and soil, bearing fruit from about two years after planting.
Sapodilla is grown extensively in various parts of Sadarpur upazila. Farmers say a mature tree yields on average four to five sacks of fruit a year, each sack weighing about 80 to 82 kg. Depending on size and quality, wholesalers buy each sack for 3,000 to 5,000 taka or more, and many traders buy trees or entire orchards on contract before the season begins.
The sapodilla season generally runs from February to June, though some trees bear fruit almost year-round depending on variety and weather. Meeting local demand, Sadarpur’s sapodilla is supplied to various districts, and several fruit depots have grown up across the upazila, playing an important role in raising the incomes of farmers and traders.
Locals say the sapodilla of Sadarpur’s Atrashi area in particular differs from other regions in taste and sweetness, so fruit from elsewhere is sometimes marketed as “Atrashi sapodilla.”
Khalil Bepari, a fruit trader in Sadar union, said: “Sapodilla needs no chemicals. Each 82-kg sack sells wholesale for up to 5,000 taka. There is heavy demand in various districts. With help from the agriculture department, commercial production could be increased further.”
Trader Ahmad Bepari said the fruit is grown without chemicals, but many trees were damaged in this year’s storms, raising the risk of losses; with government help, farmers would be more interested in growing sapodilla.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Habibul Bashar Chowdhury said sapodilla is a traditional fruit of Sadarpur that can be produced without any pesticide, and that the agriculture department would give interested entrepreneurs the advice and support needed to set up commercial sapodilla orchards.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report