Bumper litchi production expected this year. Photo: BSS

DINAJPUR, Feb 18, 2025 (BSS) – Farmers and agriculturists are expecting a bumper litchi production in the country this year due mainly to favorable weather condition following a fall in the production of this juicy summer fruits in the last two years due to bad weather.

Litchi garden owners and the agriculture officials are also optimistic about exporting a huge quantity of litchis this year after meeting the local demand.

“As the weather condition is very much favorable during this year and that’s why we are expecting surplus production as around 8250 hectares of land under 13 upazilas of Dinajpur district have been brought under litchi cultivation”, said deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) M Nuruzzaman Mia.

As the litchi production witnessed a fall for the last two years due to inclement weather, the litchi growers this year are taking special care in nurturing their litchi garden by timely applying fertilizer, spray and irrigation, said litchi farmer Golzar Hossain of Masimpur village under Dinajpur Sadar Upazila.

While visiting at different litchi gardens of the district, it was observed that litchi flower blossoms in the gardens in sadar upazila including Masimpur, Awliapur, Ulipur, Khanpur, Mohabbatpur and Cheradangi.
 
Along with commercial scale litchi farming, Nuruzzaman Mia said the homestead litchi cultivation also has been increased fast at different upazilas including Sadar, Chirirbandar and birol.

As the local litchi varieties like ‘kathali’, ‘madrazi’, ‘sonali’ and ‘bombai’ are very famous for excessive yield, said the farmers, adding that the variety usually come to the market at the very beginning of the season.

Talking about high demand of certain traditional litchi variety ‘Bedana’ of the district, the agriculture officials said the variety usually is cultivated at some villages under Sadar and Birol upazilas and the yield is also very high.

Besides this, the other popular varieties are China-2, China-3 and China-4which which are also available in the market from Joishtho 15 to Aashar 15.

Assistant director of Dinajpur Horticulture division, Rasheduzzaman Saikat said as huge blooms found this year in the litchi trees compare to the last year, adding, “So, bumper litchi production is likely this year if any major natural disaster does not occur.”

Bangladesh exported ‘Bedana’ and ‘China-3’ to France, USA and Britain last year, said the agriculture official, adding that the demand of Bangladeshi litchi is very high in different countries in the world.