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Dwarf coconut trees offer shortcut to success
PHOTO: KONGKON KARMAKER
KONGKON KARMAKER
Kazi Abu Saad Chowdhury, a resident of Ghoraghat upazila in Dinajpur, has found an answer to his financial woes in the form of Vietnamese dwarf coconut trees.
Vietnamese dwarf palms are short in stature as the name implies and although they have smaller lifespans compared to taller varieties, these coconut trees are comparatively faster at bearing fruit.
While orchards growing fruits such as lychee, mango and guava are commonplace, coconut tree plantations are a rare sight in the region due to its unfavourable climate and soil composition.
But considering the high local demand for coconuts, Chowdhury dreamed of planting the exotic variety ever since he came to know of it.
Chowdhury was unemployed for a prolonged period after attaining his bachelor’s degree and spent a couple of years in Dhaka searching for a job.
He eventually returned to Ghoraghat where he started a cattle farm and later engaged in aquaculture. Still though, his earnings were insufficient to meet his family’s monthly needs.
Chowdhury then learned about the Vietnamese dwarf coconut tree at the end of 2017 and after gathering enough information on how to cultivate it, he planted 50 saplings on 1.5 acres of land in the area.
Having bought the saplings for about Tk 500 per piece from the local Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in mid-2018, his starting cost was around Tk 70,000 while other inputs included fertiliser that had to be applied every six months.
However, he mentioned that caring for the trees did not require much labour.
After carefully nurturing the trees with advice from the DAE, Chowdhury’s dream finally came true when they started bearing fruit by the end of 2020.
Yields at the time were initially limited but after finding initial success, Chowdhury expanded his coconut cultivation the following year.
Now, many local youths in the region that have been inspired by Chowdhury are looking to produce coconuts on a commercial basis.
As each full-grown dwarf coconut tree reaches a maximum of just four or five metres in height, it is easy to pluck the low-hanging fruit.
At first, Chowdhury sold the 100 coconuts he got from 47 plants at about Tk 40-45 per piece depending on the size.
However, he stopped selling the coconuts themselves and instead concentrated on producing saplings to supply interested locals.
“These plants are a perfect fit for our climate and soil,” Chowdhury said.
“I am now selling each sapling for Tk 500 to Tk 600 per piece as there is high demand from local youths who are very interested to make orchards of this exotic coconut on their land,” he added.
Chowdhury went on to say that his orchard earned him about Tk 3 lakh so far and his earnings would only grow in the future thanks to rising production.
Chowdhury cultivated an additional 50 Vietnamese dwarf coconut trees on an acre of land this year and expects a yield of about 250 to 300 pieces of the fruit from each plant.
There is high demand for green coconut round the year but demand increases manifold during Durga Puja, the largest religious festival for the country’s Hindu community.
However, the local demand for coconut in the region is met by fruit brought in from the northern parts of the country.
Chowdhury said five local youths have already established coconut orchards like his, and that such initiatives would help meet the supply deficit.
Ezamul Haque, deputy director of the Department of Horticulture under the DAE in Dinajpur, said many exotic fruits like Vietnamese dwarf coconuts were being grown in the region and its adjoining districts.
“These plants are profitable and need less labour and investment,” he added.
According to data from the DAE in Dinajpur, nearly one lakh Vietnamese dwarf coconut tree saplings were sold to local farmers between 2015 and 2018.