Wood Apple farming has started in Chuadanga recently as many educated youths and students of colleges are likely to motivate for cultivation this fruit for being lower cost of production than other fruit.
Shakib Khan, a student of honors 3rd year in Islamic History of Jashore MM College and inhabitant of Shahpur in Jibannagar upazila of Chuadaga district started to cultivate Wood Apple (Thai Baromasi Kodbel) Farming on one bigha of land at his village in 2019. About 80 saplings have been planted on the land.
Shakib told The Bangladesh Post that he thought how to earn money to spend few times and to invest a small capital. For covering this thinking he made a decision to cultivate wood apple near his house counselling with local agriculture department’s officials.
He also said, harvesting of Wood Apple has started a few days back. About 2 pieces of kodbel is one kilogram weight. It is being sold at tk. 60. Over 150 kathbel fruit bear in a plant. To sell the fruit he has been bearing his educational and family expenses.
It is learnt, wood apple (Thai Baro Masi Kodbel) is a highly demanding fruit. Every plant is of medium-sized, spiny, with small leaves and reddish flowers. Each fruit is about the size of a tennis ball and greenish at the early stage but appears whitish when ripe. The little sourly pulp of the ripe fruit is very tasteful and widely used as chutney. Numerous seeds are embedded in the aromatic fleshy pulp. Its pulp is also used for preparing of sherbet, chutney and pickles.
According to Chuadanga District Agriculture Extension Department, about 63 entrepreneurs have been cultivating Thai Apple Wood on 7 hectares of land initially in the district. This department is expected to increase the cultivation on homesteads fallow lands gradually by motivating of educated youths.
It may be mentioned here, before 2018 nobody cultivated wood apple commercially in Chuadanga district. A few numbers of house owners used to plant wood apple saplings on the premises of their houses for eating of family members and relatives.
Umme Atika Mollik Akhi, Nutritionist and Health Educator of Chuadanga Diabetic Hospital said, kodbel fruit helps in curing digestive problems like dysentery and diarrhoea. It is also known to be a good remedy for constipation and helps to relieve discomfort.
