Photo : TDM
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 for '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 are happy as the yield is good.
Coriander leaves cultivated in the upazila are valued 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 wholesale at Taka 70 to 80 per kg. These coriander leaves are also being supplied to different districts of the country, including Dhaka, Chattogram and Rajshahi.
The farmers are getting good prices for this 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 entail huge cost, but it requires proper nursing.
She said that it is more profitable than many other crops. By cultivating Bilati coriander, a farmer can earn profit several times higher than profits of other crops, she added.
Another farmer Sadhan Tanchangya, a farmer of Sakrachhari area, said that the Bilati coriander leaf 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 are achieving financial prosperity.
Deputy Assistant Agricultural Officer of Kaptai upazila Agriculture Department Bappa Mallik said that 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 fertilizers.
Kaptai farmers are becoming self-reliant and Kaptai Upazila Agriculture Department is assisting the local farmers in coriander cultivation with various suggestions, he said.
TDM/SD
