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Guava output falls in Barisal with growers changing trade

SUSHANTO Ghosh, Barisal
Barisal region, producer of about 70 percent guava in the country, now sees decline in the production as the fruit's cultivation has become less profitable.
The growers are deprived of fair prices of the delicious rainy season fruit, locally known as 'peyara' or 'goya', due to lack of adequate transport, marketing and preservation facilities, and consequently, a good number of guava farmers are opting for other agriculture items, locals said.
Over 2,750 acres of land including 225 acres in Banaripara upazila of Barisal, 930 acres in Sadar upazila of Jhalakathi and 1,595 acres in Swarupkathi upazila of Pirojpur district are used as guava orchards this year, said sources of Barisal office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
About 16,500 tonnes of guava production is
expected from the region, they said.
Besides the orchards, guava trees are found in homesteads across the area.
Barisal region produces a special variety of tasty guava having an attractive scent.
One Puma Mandal of the area brought the special variety from Bihar over 170 years ago, several local farmers said.
On an average, six tonnes of guava is produced from an acre of land, said upazila
agriculture officers of Banaripara in Barisal district, Swarupkathi in Pirojpur district and Jhalakathi Sadar upazilas.
Although no pest, virus or fungus attack was reported this season, production of guava has declined by 10-15 percent compared to previous years.
Less than usual rainfall hampered flowering during sprouting of the delicious fruit, said Bishnupada Haidar, a guava orchard owner in Banaripara upazila.
Agriculture officials suggest growers to replace damaged and too old trees with new plants. However, it takes 4-6 years to get full-scale production.
From a one-acre guava orchard, a farmer can earn about Tk 30 thousand in a season but the amount is too scanty, said Ovijit Kumar Halder, a guava grower of Kirtipasha union in Jhalakathi.
Surprisingly, one kg of guava is sold forTk 4-6 a kg at wholesale level in the orchard but in local retail markets the prices rise to Tk 20-25 per kg.
The farmers are often compelled to sell the perishable item for throwaway prices.
Arrangement of good transport facilities between the guava producing areas and other parts of the country, adequate preservation facilities in cold storages, and setting up industries for producing jam, jelly and juice from guava is needed to address the problem, said Abdur Rahim, a guava trader of Kuriana Peyara Mokam, a wholesale centre.
The botanical name of guava is 'Psidium guayava Linn' and it belongs to 'Myrtacease' family.
It is generally believed that the Portuguese brought this fruit from South America to this region.
There is, however, a different opinion that guava, locally called 'peyara', is actually an ancient Indian fruit that was cited as 'Parabat' fruit in 'Charak Sanghita' an ayurvedic (herbal) medicine guide book written in Sanskrit during the first century.
It is rich in vitamin C, riboflavin, thiamine, and other nutrients and the fruit as well as leaf and skin of its tree are used for herbal treatment of different diseases including those concerning stomach, teeth, and burn injuries.