Coffee, fruit trees across the hills

He was drawn to the cultivation of unfamiliar fruits and vegetables to introduce new fruits to local residents.
It is not possible to understand from outside how many types of trees are inside the boundary wall. Some of these small and large trees around the mountains are known, many are unknown. There are many new and exceptional fruit trees locally. Rambutan, dragon, potato, rangana, avocado, ice cream—how many names the tree is growing, standing. Along with well-known mango-jackfruit, litchi-pineapple, there are rows of coffee trees.

Abdul Mannan has developed such an exceptional fruit garden in Akbarpur of Giasnagar Union of Moulvibazar Sadar Upazila. His interest in cultivating unfamiliar fruits and vegetables to introduce new fruits to local residents. His dream is that one day this fruit tree will give him comfort and peace.

Last Tuesday at around 11:30 AM in Akbarpur's 'Tropicana Hill Resort' garden, mango-jackfruit, lychee-pineapple trees, known everywhere in the hills, were seen. Many unknown trees. Abdul Mannan continued to tell the species and identity of those trees.
Among them, in many places, including the northern side of the hill, small and large coffee trees are standing in a row. Some plants have flowers among the green leaves. Ripe coffee fruits hang red on some trees. He got some results immediately. Some rambutan fruit trees on the south side of the hill. There are also rambutan trees on the other side. There are big and small varieties of mango trees. There are also different varieties of litchi and guava trees. New and old pineapple trees are coming down the mountain slopes. Rows of dragon trees glisten in the sun. Some unknown fruits have already grown. Other trees will bear new fruits this monsoon. Within a year or two, more or less fruit will appear on all trees.

Mannan said that his house is in Dashauni of Sadar Upazila. This hill belongs to his uncle Syed Ershad Ali, who is from UK. After getting the land from his uncle, he started planting fruit seedlings from 2019. Two hills together 5 acres 44 percent. After hearing the name of coffee in training, he became interested in coffee cultivation. 500 seedlings were brought and planted from Akbarpur Regional Agricultural Research Center at the rate of 10 taka. Later the government gave him 300 more saplings for free. It kills about a hundred seedlings. Now there are 700 trees. Arabica and Robusta coffee plants stand with fresh bodies. Mannan got the fruit from this first coffee tree.

About 30 kg of fruits have been collected so far. However, there is no opportunity to process coffee locally. He has asked the Agriculture Department for a processed machine. If he gets the machine he will plant more coffee trees. In 2020, the red and yellow dragons are installed. Dragon has 1400 trees. So far he has sold dragons worth about 70 thousand rupees. There are 16 rambutan trees. Last season, he sold rambutans worth Tk 3,500 from one tree at Tk 500 per kg. He sold pineapples worth about lakhs of rupees. He sells jackfruit for around 30 thousand rupees. Alubokhara has 8, Rangana has 28, litchi has 70, ice cream has 3. His garden has 106 varieties of fruit trees including exceptional and new ones.

Mannan said that so far about four lakh rupees have been spent on incidental expenses including planting fruit trees in his garden. There are two regular workers on a monthly salary of eight thousand taka. Apart from this, another 10,000 to 15,000 taka is spent annually on fertilizers and pesticides. Fruit trees grown in his garden include red Thai, pink, Malaysian-Korean and native jackfruit; Three varieties of litchi including Bombay; Alphonso, American Cane, Apple, Banana, Brunei King, Blackstone, China Drop, Cheng Mai, Miyazaki (Sun Egg), Gurpati, Gopalbhog, Chakapater Raja, Mallika, Red Ivory, Katimon, Ponai, Kyuzai, Nag, Bombay, Amalakshmi, Local mangoes of indigenous varieties including Pakistani; 106 varieties of fruit trees including Thai Amra, Apricot, Avocado, Bolsundari (Plum), Rosehip, Beechi, Breadfruit, Carousel.

Nilufar Yasmin Monalisa Sweety, Additional Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension Department Moulvibazar, told Prothom Alo</em>yesterday, "He (Mannan's) garden has many foreign fruits. There are not many such fruits in Moulvibazar. He is a very diligent and hardworking farmer. New crops, Interested in technology. We are giving him all kinds of advice from agriculture department.