The hill district of Bandarban witnessed a bumper production of pineapples this year, with farmers making good profits from their crops.
Favourable weather has led to the bumper prodution of the juicy fruits in the region. The Department of Agriculture Extension in the district says about seven lakh metric tonnes of pineapple was produced in 4,525 hectares of land this fiscal, while over six lakh metric tonnes were produced in 2012-13 and nearly two lakh metric tonnes in 2010-11.
Giant Key and Honey Queen are the two varieties of pineapples largely grown in the district.
Sources said the tasty and succulent fruits were exported to different parts of the country including Dhaka and Chittagong, after meeting the local demand.
The ethnic people living in the hilly regions of Farukpara, Layemipara, Satmayel and Egaromayel cultivate pineapples. A pineapple grower Pasen Bom from Farukpara said, “We are earning much better profits from the sale of pineapples this year than in the previous years.”
He said he had cultivated on three acres of land and reaped around 5,000 pineapples which he sold for Tk20-Tk25 per piece.
Bandarban Agriculture Department Deputy Director Abul Kalam said pineapple cultivation was gaining momentum in the district because of its for-profit nature.
