The cultivation of the citrus fruit, lotkon (Baccaurea sapida), has been gaining popularity among farmers in Narsingdi. Around 5,000 farmers in the district cultivate lotkon for economic reasons.
As part of a crop diversification programme, the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has been encouraging farmers in the district to grow lotkon.
An official said the cultivation of the fruit yields more profit than many other local fruits.
He said the demand for lotkon has seen a daily increase.
The delicious and juicy fruit, small and round in size, looks like a big marble. It generally grows on high fallow land and around houses.
According to the local DAE office, a total of 200 saplings can be planted on one bigha of land, producing up to an average of 5 tonnes of lotkon a season.
Afaj Uddin, a farmer from Dhanaya in the Shibpur upazila said from one bigha of land, one can easily earn Tk50,000-Tk60,000 a season.
The deputy director of the Narsingdi DAE, Muksed Ali, said lotkon is being exported, especially to the Middle East and Europe.
He also expressed hopes that this year, Narsingdi will export over 60 tonnes of lotkon to foreign countries. He said that the country could make huge earnings in foreign exchange every year by exporting lotkon.