Lemon farming emerges as fortune changer for Rangpur farmers

In recent years, lemon cultivation has become a profitable venture, changing the fortunes of many farmers in the five districts of the Rangpur agricultural region.

Due to attractive market prices and ever-increasing demand for lemons, its cultivation is rapidly expanding in fallow lands, gardens, and homesteads in rural areas, changing the fortunes of many farmers and common people and making them self-reliant.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), about 3,500 farmers and common people in the region have become self-sufficient by cultivating lemons and selling the produce throughout the year at profitable prices.

Many farmers and ordinary people are cultivating lemons in their gardens, homesteads, and fallow lands, and are also using lemon trees as living fences around crop fields to effectively protect their crops from damage by domestic animals.

Dr Md Abu Sayem, former deputy director of the Burirhat Horticulture Center of the DAE in Rangpur, said that lemon cultivation is very profitable and that huge demand and attractive prices are encouraging farmers to expand its cultivation everywhere.

Farmers are mostly cultivating "Kagoji", "Pati", "Elachi" seedless, China, and "Zamir" lemon varieties on about 1,200 hectares of land in Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, and Nilphamari districts in the region.

The production of lemons from over nine lakh trees cultivated this year might be 15 crore pieces, worth Tk45 crore at Tk3 per piece on an annual average at the farmer level.

"However, in the local retail markets, each lemon is being sold for between Tk4 and Tk5, depending on its shape, size, and variety," he said.

Even during different seasons of the year, including the holy month of Ramadan, the price increases to Tk10 to Tk15 per lemon.

The 15 crore lemon pieces produced will be sold by traders in the local market for about Tk75 crore or even more, which is much higher than the farmer-level value of Tk45 crore.

Talking to BSS, Additional Director of DAE Rangpur Regional Agriculturist Md Sirajul Islam said that lemon cultivation in this region has proven to be a profitable venture, making many farmers and common people self-reliant.

"The DAE and other agriculture-related research institutions and organizations have taken various steps to further expand lemon cultivation by providing training and technology to farmers to increase production and meet the nutritional needs of the population," he said.

Around 3,500 farmers and common people in all five districts of the Rangpur agricultural region have become self-sufficient by cultivating lemons in their gardens, orchards, homesteads, and fallow lands, he added.

Farmers Mofizar Rahman of Badarganj upazila in Rangpur and Aminul Islam of Phulbari upazila in Kurigram said that they are earning a good income by cultivating lemons and are becoming financially self-reliant.

"We are also effectively using lemon trees growing as living fences around our crop fields to protect standing crops from damage by livestock," said Mofizar Rahman.