Litchi orchards across Pabna are brimming with fruit this season as growers expect a bumper harvest and strong profits amid favourable weather conditions.
Farmers in the district, widely known as one of the country’s major litchi-producing regions, said the heavy flowering at the beginning of the season had already raised hopes for a good yield.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) also expects production to exceed the official target this year.
A visit to several orchards in the Dapunia area of Pabna Sadar on Wednesday showed branches laden with bright red litchis swaying among dense green leaves.
Farmers said local varieties of litchi would hit markets within the next few days, while Bombay, Muzaffari and other varieties are expected to arrive after Eid-ul-Azha.
The orchards now present a mix of red and green as different varieties mature at different times.
According to the district agriculture office, litchi cultivation this year covered around 4,700 hectares in Pabna.
The production target has been set at 35,000 tonnes.
Farmers said orchards witnessed abundant flowering at the start of the season, raising expectations of a strong harvest from the beginning.
They said favourable weather throughout the growing period helped ensure healthy fruit production.
Litchi grower Abdur Rajim said farmers had taken extensive care of the trees through irrigation, fertiliser application and pest management after flowering began.
“The yield looks very good this year, and farmers are finally smiling,” he said.
“We could not get the expected production last year, but this season we hope to recover the losses and make a profit,” he added.
Another grower, Mohir Uddin, said Pabna’s litchi enjoys strong demand and reputation across the country.
“Last year we suffered losses from litchi farming, but this year I expect to sell Tk2 lakh to Tk3 lakh worth of litchis from my 50 trees,” he said.
Farmer Nur Hossain said local varieties ripen earlier and are now almost ready for market.
“Bombay, Muzaffari and other varieties will arrive in the market after Eid-ul-Azha,” he added.
Pabna DAE Deputy Director Jahangir Alam Pramanik said the department initially targeted 35,000 tonnes of production.
“But due to the excellent yield, we now expect production to exceed 50,000 tonnes,” he said.
“The agriculture department supported farmers throughout the season, while growers also properly maintained the orchards. Favourable weather played a major role in the strong production,” he added.
