Low output cost, easy farming methods behind the reason
FE Team
| Published: June 21, 2023 21:38:09
RANGAMATI, June 21 (BSS): The cultivation of coriander, locally known as ‘Bilati Dhonia’, is gaining popularity among farmers in Kaptai upazila of the district as it has become profitable because of low production cost and easy farming methods.
Deputy Assistant Agricultural Officer of Kaptai upazila Bappa Mallik said coriander cultivation has raised hope among farmers. Soil and weather of the area are congenial to ‘Bilati Dhonia’ coriander cultivation. Coriander cultivation is increasing in the district every year.
Farmers in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban districts are cultivating coriander, “Bilati Dhonia” and earning handsome amount of money, sources in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said.
DAE official said there has been a good yield of ‘Bilati Dhonia’ coriander leaves. Bilati coriander leaf is now visible in various hilly areas of the upazila. Farmers here are happy as the yield is good.
Coriander leaves cultivated in the upazila are in great demand all over the country. The smell of the Bilati Coriander leaves is very beautiful. And the yield is also very good as the coriander leaves look very flat. Green Coriander leaves with grooves on both sides look very nice, DAE said.
This year, there has been a good yield of the Bilati coriander in hilly and plain areas in different unions of the upazila. The farmers are interested in cultivating ‘Bilati Dhonia’ because of the high profit with low cost. Once the seed is sown, this leaf lives up for several years. As a result, leaves can be collected repeatedly with ease. For this, the farmers of this region are leaning towards cultivation of Bilati coriander leaves, DAE officials said.
It can be seen on the ground in different areas of the upazila, including Sapchari, Devatchari, Sakrachhari and the Kaptai-Ghagra road. Coriander leaves are arranged in rows on the side of the road to supply to different parts of the country.
The ‘Bilati Dhonia’ coriander leaves are being sold at Tk 70 to Tk 80 per kg at wholesale markets. The coriander leaves are also being supplied to different districts of the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram and Rajshahi.
The farmers are getting good prices for the coriander leaves in the local markets as well as in the urban areas.
Commercial cultivation of coriander started in hill areas about a few years ago, and it can be grown in plain, slope and even in high land.
Binta Tangchangya, a farmer of Wagga union of the upazila said, coriander cultivation does not need huge cost, but it requires proper nursing.
She said it is more profitable than many other crops. By cultivating Bilati coriander, a farmer can earn profit several times higher than those of other crops, she added.
Another farmer Sadhan Tanchangya, a farmer of Sakrachhari area, said the Bilati coriander leaves can be cultivated in different gardens in hilly areas. There is no need of separate space for this. The yield is also good and therefore, many farming families here are achieving financial prosperity.
Deputy Assistant Agricultural Officer of Kaptai upazila Agriculture Department Bappa Mallik said there has been a good yield of Bilati coriander leaves in Kaptai upazila. Coriander leaves have been cultivated in an area of about six hectares and the yield has also been good and the Bilati coriander leaves are being cultivated in other hilly areas of the upazila, he added.
Coriander leaves of this area are in high demand as they are produced completely poison-free and without chemical fertilisers.
Kaptai farmers are becoming self-reliant and Kaptai Upazila Agriculture Department is assisting the local farmers to cultivate coriander with various suggestions, he said.