S A Shofiee, Sylhet

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

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.

Jashim Uddin, 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.”

Elias Ahmed, a farmer of the same village, said that the Department of Agricultural Extension is providing training and the necessary pesticides and improved varieties of seedlings for the cultivation of lemons on fallow land. Through this, the lemon farmers export the dried lemons to the foreign market and earn a lot of foreign exchange besides creating alternative employment opportunities.

Additional director (PP) of Sylhet Directorate of Agriculture, agronomist Md. Anisuzzaman said that the soil and climate of Goainghat, Jaintapur are suitable for citrus fruits. There are high and low hills, so rain water cannot collect at the base of the trees.

For this reason, there is a possibility of producing more citrus and lemon crops at low cost in these two upazilas. The Department of Agricultural Extension is regularly providing advanced training and seedlings to farmers. Besides, various suggestions are also being given to the farmers. As a result, the number of lemon farmers in these upazilas is increasing day by day.