Commercially, Chuadanga has developed jujube gardens of high yielding varieties. The jujube gardens are full of such fruit. Small and large gardens have sprung up in the market due to the huge demand for Balsundari, Kashmiri, Bharatsundari and other variety of jujube.
In a short span of time, cool farming has become a lucrative business and farmers and educated unemployed youths have set up gardens. Jujube will be sold for around Tk 10 crore this season, they hoped.
Farmers said that garden owners are getting lower prices due to irregularities of storekeepers. And general buyers have to buy cool at high prices. The difference between the garden owner and the buyer is Tk 30 to Tk 35 per kg. Jujube is a high yielding variety and is in high demand in winter market.
After meeting the demand of such fruit in Chuadanga market, it is now sent to different districts of the country including Dhaka, Savar, Gazipur, Khulna, Chittagong, and Rajshahi.
The first commercial high yielding variety of Kashmiri jujube was started in Loknathpur village of Damurhuda upazila of Chuadanga. After spreading in the district, Balsundari, Kashmiri, Bharatsundari and sour-sweet varieties were cultivated. There are about 300 jujube gardens in 38 hectares of land in the district.
Farmers and entrepreneurs have started selling in the cool market since the beginning of January. This year, about 3096 tonnes of fruits will be available from the cool garden of 387 hectares of land. Its market value is about Tk 10 crore. Balsundari, Kashmiri, Bharatsundari and sour-sweet varieties have been cultivated on 70 hectares in Chuadanga Sadar Upazila, 25 hectares in Alamdanga Upazila, 174 hectares in Damurhuda Upazila and 118 hectares in Jibannagar Upazila. According to the farmers, the cost per bigha jujube garden is about Tk 30000 per year. Apart from the cost, the profit per bigha is Tk 1 lakh. At present, jujube is being sold at Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kg.
Shimul Hossain Palak, owner of a fruit garden in Satgari village in Chuadanga municipal area, said, “I planted 500 Bal Sundari and 200 Bharat Sundari saplings from Kaliganj and planted them in 2021 on 2.5 bighas of land. About Tk 1 lakh has been spent from preparing the land to getting the fruits. Within seven to eight months of planting the seedlings, fruits start appearing. I have already sold jujube and jujube seedlings worth around Tk 1.5 lakh.” He said Balsundari Kul is being sold at Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,300 and Bharat Sundari at Tk 2,400 to Tk 2,600. Mojibul Haque, owner of a jujube garden in Boalmari village of Chuadanga Sadar upazila, said, “We don't get a fair price. The storekeepers sell our fruit and earn more than Tk 30 to Tk 40 per kg. But we are paid Tk 30 to Tk 40 less per kg. As a result the profit is less. This time I have cultivated Balsundari on 1.5 bighas of land and Kul of Kashmiri variety on 1.5 bighas of land. It has cost Tk 20000 to Tk 25000 per bigha. Tk 1 lakh will be the profit excluding expenses.
Mohammad Ali Jinnah, district training officer of the Chuadanga Agricultural Extension Department, said jujube cultivation has been done on 387 hectares of land in the district. There is a huge demand for cool in the market. Cool is going to other districts of the country to meet the demand in Chuadanga. All kinds of assistance is being provided to the garden owners by the Department of Agricultural Extension.