The branches of drumstick (moringa) trees in Dumuria, Khulna, are laden with pods, and farmers are hoping for a bumper crop. Thousands of trees that grow untended along roadsides, in homestead yards and in open fields are full of drumsticks this year, and people in the trade are pleased with the yield of a vegetable prized for its taste and known as a “super food” for its medicinal value.
Almost every homestead in the 14 unions of Dumuria upazila has two to four drumstick trees, and countless more grow along the upazila’s roads. Lately many people have also begun growing the crop commercially. Because the trees need no pesticide and no care, drumsticks cost almost nothing to produce: a cutting planted beside a house or in a field slowly takes root, grows into a tree and later bears pods.
Besides meeting their own households’ needs, growers sell the pods at market for extra income. Through the season they fetch Tk 50 to 100 a kilogram. After local demand is met, the vegetable is sold in Dhaka and other parts of the country.
Traders buy the drumsticks at Dumuria, Kharnia, Chuknagar, Atharo Mile, Tipna Notun Rastabazar, Sarafpur and Baniakhali markets in the upazila and take them to other regions.
Young entrepreneur Goni Gazi said he has planted drumstick trees. Besides selling the pods, his aim is to make herbal medicine from the leaves.
He said a tree starts bearing at 10 to 12 months, and a mature tree yields up to eight to ten maunds of pods. Because production costs are so low, the crop is quite profitable, he said.
Dr Kajal Mallick, a health officer (USI) at the upazila health complex, said drumstick is a highly nutritious vegetable and very useful for treating vitamin A deficiency. He said it works as a remedy for paralysis, contains calcium, magnesium, potassium, zinc and vitamin C, helps keep cholesterol in check and is very good for people with high blood pressure. The leaves can also be eaten as greens, he said.
Ali Hasan, a sub-assistant plant protection officer (SAPPO) in Dumuria, said that with favourable weather, this year’s drumstick yield is the highest in several years. Nearly every house has drumstick trees, and the agriculture department is encouraging farmers to set up planned drumstick plots.
Dumuria Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Nazmul Huda said drumstick, an eco-friendly, fibre-rich cash vegetable, is called the “miracle tree”. Its leaves, flowers and pods are all edible, and it is rich in antioxidants that strengthen the body’s resistance to disease. It can be grown on fallow land near homes, and because it tolerates cold, heat and drought it grows all over Bangladesh. The tree has almost no diseases, he said.
He said that if the weather stays favourable, the upazila will produce at least 200 tonnes of drumsticks this year, worth at least Tk 1 crore at market prices.
Md Nazrul Islam, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Khulna, said two kinds of drumstick are commonly grown in the country: seasonal and year-round. The year-round variety is less grown in Khulna but is now spreading. Drumstick trees need no cultivation or chemical fertiliser, so the agriculture department is distributing saplings among farmers to encourage them to grow it.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report