Heatwave damage and abundant supply after Eid reduce quality and growers' earnings
3 hour(s) ago
Ahmed Humayun Kabir Topu
Despite a bumper litchi harvest in Pabna's Ishwardi upazila, many farmers and traders say they are disappointed with prices this season, as a prolonged heatwave and abundant supply have driven down the fruit's market value.Agriculture officials, however, maintain that record production will ensure farmers remain profitable despite lower-than-expected prices.Known as the country's litchi capital, Ishwardi is expected to generate more than Tk 700 crore in sales this season, according to agriculture officials. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) estimates production in the upazila will exceed 40,000 tonnes this year due to exceptional yields.A visit to several orchards in Ishwardi showed farmers and traders busy harvesting and packing the summer fruit for markets across the country. The harvest of local litchi varieties began in early May, while large-scale harvesting of late-season varieties started immediately after Eid-ul-Azha.“The local variety was harvested before Eid-ul-Azha. Now the Bombay variety, the most prominent litchi variety here, is being harvested,” said Md Rakibul Islam, a farmer from Shahapur village.He said Ishwardi's early harvest period usually allows growers to secure favourable prices at the start of the season.“Although we received our expected prices for the local variety, we are disappointed by the poor prices for the Bombay variety,” he added.Md Touhidul Islam, another farmer from Ishwardi, said he owns more than 150 litchi trees, of which over 120 bore fruit this year. Larger trees produced around 8,000 litchis each, while smaller ones yielded about 4,000, significantly higher than in previous years.“When the season started with the local variety, we sold each thousand litchis for Tk 2,200. We expected Bombay litchis to sell for Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 per thousand, but we are now selling them at almost the same price as the local variety,” he said.According to farmers, the peak harvest period coincided with the post-Eid period, resulting in a surge in supply. At the same time, intense heat damaged many fruits, causing discolouration and black spots that reduced their market value.“Although each tree yielded 7,000 to 8,000 litchis, it is difficult to find even 5,000 good-quality fruits per tree because a large portion has been damaged by black spots,” Touhidul said.He added that high-quality Bombay litchis were sold to traders at Tk 2,000 per thousand, while lower-quality fruits fetched only Tk 1,500 to Tk 1,600 per thousand.“These are the lowest prices we have seen in the last few years,” he said.Touhidul completed harvesting 120 trees yesterday and earned around Tk 8 lakh, although he had expected to make more than Tk 10 lakh.Md Jillur Rahman, another farmer from Shahapur village, said litchis are highly vulnerable to temperatures above 35 degrees Celsius.“Temperatures remained above that level over the past few days, causing widespread damage to fruits still on the trees,” he said.Despite the concerns raised by farmers, agriculture officials say the season has been highly successful.Md Abdullah Al Momin, agriculture officer of Ishwardi upazila, said farmers benefited from the area's early harvesting schedule.“Although it may appear that prices are low, farmers received good prices at the beginning of the season because harvesting starts earlier in Ishwardi than in many other areas,” he said.“We monitored 3,100 hectares of litchi cultivation this season and expect production to exceed 40,000 tonnes due to the exceptional yield. Although farmers have not received their expected prices for all varieties, the bumper harvest will ultimately keep them profitable.”According to the DAE, litchi cultivation covered 4,620 hectares across Pabna district this year, including more than 3,100 hectares in Ishwardi.Md Shah Alam, a development section officer at DAE Pabna, said production fell to 34,898 tonnes last year, the lowest level in a decade, compared with 46,790 tonnes in 2024.“Due to the bumper harvest, we expect production to exceed 50,000 tonnes across the district this year,” he said.Md Sajahan Ali Badsha, a pioneer litchi grower in Pabna, said litchi cultivation remains one of the region's main economic drivers.“Over the last few years, the litchi trade was worth around Tk 500 crore annually. This year, it is expected to exceed Tk 1,000 crore, with more than Tk 700 crore coming from Ishwardi alone,” he said.He added that the hybrid Bombay and China-3 varieties remain the most sought-after litchis produced in the area.“During the peak season, 40 to 50 truckloads of litchis are shipped to markets across the country every day, meeting a significant share of national demand,” he said.
