Sylhet Bureau

Jara Lemon, a special kind of lemon grown by farmers in Jaintapur and Goainghat upazilas, appeares to be a profit-making fruit as it is being exported after meeting the local demand.

Its cultivation is gaining popularity among farmers as more than 200 families in the two upazilas have become self-reliant by cultivating the fruit.

Chiknagul, Haripur, and Fatehpur in Jaintapur uapzila, and Banigram in Goainghat upazila are suitable for Jara Lemon cultivation due to its hilly lands.

Jara Lemon is being commercially cultivated in Shyampur, Haripur, Agerkhal, Shikarkhan, Uthlarpar villages under Foteypur union; Umanpur, Panichhara, Thakurer Mati villages under Chiknagul union; Kalinanjibari in Nijpat union and Banigram village under Fatehpur union in Goainghat upazila.

It is being exported to the UK, the USA, Singapore, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE and other parts of the Middle East.

Abdul Jabbar, a farmer of Bagerkhal village in Jaintapur upazila, said,” We're cultivating Jara Lemon commercially now but our ancestors used to produce it only to meet the family need.”

Another farmer, Islam uddin, said they used to receive fertilizers and insecticides from the government in the past but now they do not get any such support.

“If we get good quality seeds and necessary training, the production will be much higher than what it is now,” he added.

uddin further said he made a profit of Tk 1 lakh in the current season from Jara cultivation with five labourers working in his lemon garden.

Farmers of these areas are showing more interest in Jara farming due to its high production and better prospect of making profit.

D Lutfur Rahman, the chief scientific officer of Jaintapur Citrus Research Center, said the land and weather of Jaintapur are very much suitable for citrus fruit cultivation.

The research centre has been providing regular training and seeds to the local farmers, he added.