Lemon cultivation in the orchards and homesteads has already become profitable bringing fortune to hundreds of farmers, commoners and distressed women in recent years in the northern districts.
More than 2,000 farmers, common people and distressed women have achieved self-reliance through lemon farming in Rangpur region alone changing their fate through selling their produced lemon at fair price in a hassle-free manner.
According to officials and experts in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and NGOs, cultivation of lemon has been expanding every year following its repeated bumper production and lucrative market price.
Most of the people have been farming lemon in their homesteads though many farmers have set up lemon orchards as live fences around crop fields following huge demand and profits, Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam said.
Talking to BSS, farmer Motiar Rahman of village Deodoba here said he has planted over 3,000 lemon trees as live fences around his 1.5 acre litchi orchards and earns Taka eight lakh by selling lemon alone annually without using separate land for the purpose.
Farmers Shahadat Ali and Rahim Uddin, distressed women Sohagi Khatun and Nabiron Bibi of different villages in Rangpur said they are cultivating lemon as live fences in their orchards and homesteads to earn excellent profits every year.
Quasem Ali of village Patrokhata Khondkerpara in Kurigram said he has been earning over Taka eight lakh annually by selling his cultivated lemon alone in 12 decimals out of 48 decimal homestead croplands.
This season, Quasem Ali sold 22,000 pieces of his produced lemon at Taka 60,000 in a day and he has been selling at least 2.20 lakh pieces of lemon annually after distributing his produce among his relatives, neighbours and villagers. -BSS, Rangpur
