- The government has planted 25 lakh saplings in three hill districts
- 40-50 years yield can be obtained from the trees
- The government wants to save foreign exchange and increase export earnings
The government is preparing a new plan around coffee and cashew nuts. The hilly soil of the country is suitable for coffee and cashew nut cultivation. Using this soil and climate, 2.5 million seedlings of both fruits have been planted under the project. Some trees have already yielded. One of the objectives of the project is to meet the needs of the country in the next few years, to save foreign exchange, generate income from exports and create employment.
About 10 to 15 percent of the saplings planted in the three hill districts of Rangamati, Khagrachari and Bandarban under the project titled ‘Cashew Nut and Coffee Research, Development and Extension’ were lost. The Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department (IMED) has directed to transplant these saplings at the earliest. The Directorate of Agricultural Extension is implementing the scheme from January 2021 to December 2025.
The overall objective of the project is to expand coffee and cashew nut cultivation in 25 upazilas of three districts of hilly regions of Bangladesh and other suitable areas, increase production, processing, marketing and sustainable development of farmers’ income, employment and socio-economic conditions.
According to the Directorate of Agricultural Extension (DAE), increasing production by 50 percent through the development and expansion of cashew nut and coffee varieties, management technology, increasing the existing production area from 2 thousand hectares to 6 thousand hectares, meeting the country’s demand through the production of cashew nuts and coffee, and increasing foreign income through exports. In the project area, 49 thousand 500 farmers will be assisted in poverty alleviation and nutrition development along with skill development, employment opportunities.
‘Creative Consultants International Limited’ is a consultancy firm engaged in intensive monitoring of the project titled ‘Cashew Nut and Coffee Research, Development and Extension’ under the Ministry of Agriculture. A study of the first draft report of the institute submitted to IMED shows that the saplings planted in the hills are being destroyed.
IMED has given some other instructions regarding the project including transplanting these seedlings. One of these is to report whether all the seedlings that have been destroyed are being replaced or not. The implementation status of various sectors of the project in all the areas selected for close inspection should be mentioned in the report.
In addition, mentioning the information related to the audit in the prescribed format as directed by IMED, finding out the lack of coordination between the two implementing agencies of the project, Directorate of Agricultural Extension and Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, correcting the variation of project allocation, cost and progress in different parts of the report.
Regarding the IMED report, the project director said. Shahidul Islam told Jago News, ‘We have already planted 2.5 million coffee-cashew nut seedlings. However, due to various reasons, 10 to 15 percent of the seedlings are lost. Even if we plant different plants in our house, not all of them survive. Some plants perish. As a result, some of the coffee-cashew nut seedlings have been destroyed in the hills as well. But we are replacing these plants.’
What are the causes of coffee-cashew nut seedlings? In response to such questions, he said, ‘Coffee-cashew nut seedlings have to be carried by hand from one hill to another hill, this is also a reason. The saplings are usually planted during the monsoon season. Seedlings are often damaged during monsoon due to various reasons. But replacing these seedlings is an ongoing process.
We have already planted 25 lakh coffee-cashew nut saplings. However, due to various reasons, 10 to 15 percent of the seedlings are lost. Even if we plant different plants in our house, not all of them survive. Some plants perish. As a result, some of the coffee-cashew nut seedlings have been destroyed in the hills as well. However, we are replacing these seedlings. – Project Director Md. Shahidul Islam
In relation to coffee-cashew nut production, director of cashew nut and coffee research, development and extension project said, ‘Now it is being produced on a small scale. See when we plant mango seedlings immediately but the yield does not come, it takes time. But I hope to get full yield in next two years. I will get coffee and cashew nuts from the trees for 40-50 years.’
The project activities started in June 2021. At the beginning of the project, cashew nuts were cultivated in 1800 hectares of land. To implement the program, cashew nuts are currently being cultivated in about 4200 hectares of land. At the same time, coffee cultivation has increased from 65 hectares to 1800 hectares. Most of this expansion has taken place in the country’s three hill districts of Rangamati, Bandarban and Khagrachari. As a result of the expansion of cashew nut and coffee cultivation in the hilly areas, cashew nuts and coffee are now grown where jum was cultivated earlier. As the price of produce increases, the people of hilly areas are becoming interested in cashew nut and coffee cultivation.
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The DAE said that where the saplings are being destroyed, they are being replaced. One- to two-year-old coffee-cashew nuts bear fruit in a small range. In the next two years, cashew nuts and coffee will be fully harvested. The trees will live and bear fruit for 40 to 50 years. One tree yields 10 to 15 kg of cashew nuts and 3 to 4 kg of coffee annually.
The consumer demand of cashew nut in the country is increasing day by day. Presently cashew nut market is around Tk 700 crore. An average of 2500 to 3000 tonnes of processed cashew nuts are imported every year. The demand of coffee in the country is about two thousand tons. Average coffee demand growth in the last decade is about 56 percent. About 600 crore worth of coffee is sold within the country annually. At the consumer level, the demand for these two products is increasing day by day in the last five years. The country needs two thousand tons of coffee. When the coffee plants are in full production, the demand will be met, then there will be no need to export.
Creation of employment opportunities
Expansion of cashew nut and coffee cultivation and establishment of processing factories have created employment opportunities in the country. Large industrial groups are setting up processing plants in the economic zones of the country. Companies like BSRM and Kazi Group are setting up processing plants at a cost of around two and a half crore rupees for export purposes. This factory will create employment opportunities for around 1200 people.
Besides, about two thousand workers are working in the existing processing factories. A significant number of these workers are women.
Increase in export earnings
One of the objectives of this project is to meet the domestic demand through cashew nuts and coffee produced in the country as well as earn foreign exchange through exports. Work is underway to bring two lakh hectares of uncultivated land under cashew nut and coffee cultivation in the mountainous region of the country. If this program can be implemented, it is possible to export one billion dollars besides meeting the needs of the country through the produced cashew nuts and coffee.
Creating new entrepreneurs
The expansion of cashew nut and coffee plantations is creating new entrepreneurs. At present, 22 cashew nut processing factories have been established in the country. These factories have been set up completely privately. The marketing of cashew nuts produced in the country is becoming easier due to the establishment of processing factories. Coffee produced in the country is also being used in various processing factories in the country. As a result of the project, new farmers and entrepreneurs have been created.
Currently, a total of 3.5 million metric tons of cashew nuts are produced all over the world. Of this, 1.2 million metric tons are produced in the West African countries of Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Ghana and Benin. But these countries cannot process cashew nuts. African countries process only 10 percent. Processing their cashew nuts in Vietnam earns four billion dollars a year.
Cashew nut market is 9.8 billion dollars worldwide. Of this, Vietnam alone exports four billion dollars. The rest is exported from India and some West African countries. The big market for cashew nut is USA and Europe. Like Vietnam, Bangladesh can directly and indirectly earn foreign exchange from coffee-cashew nuts.
MOS/ASA/MS
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