Several high-value exotic fruits in Bangladesh have seen increased production in the past several years. Thanks to the expansion of the cultivation of the fruits, the country may even be able to cut the import of exotic fruits.
Currently, Bangladesh depends on external sources to meet 60 per cent of its demand for fruits, which cost it around Tk 25 bln annually. The high-value exotic fruits that are largely being grown in the country include dragon fruits, sweet oranges, oranges, strawberries, avocadoes, persimmons, rambutans, longans, and net melons, with their combined production standing at around 206,000 tons in the last financial year, data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) showed.
The agency also says there is a huge growth in the cultivation of the fruits across the country.
For example, the annual total production of sweet oranges was 3,916 tons from 555 hectares of land in the fiscal year of 2014-15. Eight years later, it surged to 54,399 tons and the land under coverage was 6,848 hectares. Dragon fruit cultivation stood at 851 tons in FY18 and it spiked more than 1,600 per cent to 13,872 tons.
[ Tk100 =€ 0.91 ]
Source: thedailystar.net