Banana cultivation is spreading along the hill slopes of Alikadam in Bandarban, and marginal farmers from small ethnic minority and Bengali communities are becoming self-reliant by growing the fruit. After meeting local demand, bananas from the area are sent to Chattogram, Cox’s Bazar, Cumilla, Chandpur and other districts. But a fertiliser shortage, a lack of government incentives and poor transport links mean farmers cannot make full use of the sector’s potential.
Bangla, champa, sagar and sabri bananas and green cooking bananas (kanchkola) are grown on hills across the upazila all year round, though yields are highest from August to October. According to local traders, 20,000 to 30,000 bunches are sent from Panbazar and the Amtali river ghat to different parts of the country on Sundays alone.
Two young farmers, Md Hasan and Khurshed Alam of Bharimukh Karmakarpara in Choikhyong union, have planted bananas on 10 acres. They said they sell 200 to 250 bunches a week, at Tk 150 to Tk 500 a bunch. But they cannot raise production because they do not get the fertiliser they need. With enough fertiliser, they believe, output could be doubled.
Traders say rising transport costs are cutting into their profits. Md Shamsul Alam, a trader from Chakaria, said higher fuel prices and tolls were pushing up the cost of moving bananas. Habibur Rahman, a trader from Chattogram, said hill bananas were in good demand because of their size and quality.
Farmers say that with enough fertiliser, government incentives and better roads, banana farming in Alikadam could expand further, raising the incomes of marginal farmers and boosting the local economy.
According to the upazila office of the Department of Agricultural Extension, bananas have been planted on a total of 1,125 hectares of land and hill slopes in Alikadam this year. Of this, bangla bananas cover 677 hectares, champa 354 hectares, sagar 52 hectares, sabri 27 hectares and green cooking bananas 15 hectares.
Md Sohel Rana, an official of the upazila agricultural extension office, said banana plants grow naturally in the hill soil. Good yields come from simple care such as clearing the undergrowth around the saplings, removing dead leaves and cutting back extra suckers. Because the bananas are grown without fertiliser or pesticides, he said, their nutritional value stays intact and they are in greater demand in the market.
He added that although the upazila has four fertiliser dealers, the allocation is low compared with demand. Efforts are under way to distribute fertiliser to all farmers through coordination, he said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report