Year-round fruit production project likely to continue

Al Amin :
Putting high emphasis on people’s nutrition status, the third amendment of the “Year-Round Fruit Production for Nutrition Improvement” project is going to be placed in the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today (Tuesday).
The third phase of the project has targeted a year-round production of jackfruits and mango in the country like that of dragon and pears.
It has also targeted 2.5 thousand exhibitions, expansion of MD-2 pineapple and gum-less jackfruits, and four new horticulture centres if get approval.
The third phase has also aimed to turn the historic Mujibnagar Mango Orchard into real greenery with fruit gardens and other tourist-friendly infrastructure.
Such proposals have been put in the 3rd amendment of the project implemented by the Department of Agriculture Extension of the Ministry of Agriculture.
According to sources the government started the ‘nutrition development project through year-round fruit production’ in 2015 while 2nd amendment of the project was approved on March 10, 2020, while the planning for the 3rd revision of the project is going to the ECNEC.
 The Project Implementation Committee and the Project Steering Committee have approved the 3rd amendment and sent it to the Ministry of Planning, said a high official of Agriculture Ministry.
He said after getting approval from the Project Evaluation Committee meeting (PEC) it is getting ready for final approval.
Director of the project Md Mehdi Masud said, the cost of the project till the 2nd amendment was Tk 4.602 billion, and Tk 2.11 billion of expenditure has been estimated for the 3rd Amendment.
The final cost of the project up to the third amendment has been estimated at Tk 6.716 billion. The project has been being implemented in 402 upazilas under 51 districts in the country. In the 3rd amendment of the project, out of the total costs, Tk 420 million would be spent on land acquisition.
He said that the production of fruits in the country has been increasing at the rate of 11 percent per annum.
 The project’s continuation would help maintain this trend. He said the historic Mujibnagar Mango Orchard will be renovated so that it could generate mangoes worth Tk 55 million annually.
The quality pineapple variety MD-2 will be expanded both for local consumption and exports, he said.
The 3rd amendment proposes to establish 4 new horticulture centres in Kushtia, Jesore, Chandpur and Gaibandha districts.
The project aims to increase the cultivation and production of all types of fruits with potential for both domestic and foreign markets.
The government took the project in FY’15 so that the nutritional demands of the population could be met.
This was an innovative idea of the government as till now only the summer months gave us a good variety of local fruits while the rest of the year only the rich could avail imported fruits only.
The project has shown remarkable success with fruit yields increasing significantly, enough to meet local and foreign demands.
As many as half a million farmers have been given training on fruit cultivation through horticulture centres.
The initiative, which the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has been implementing since 2014-2015, has inspired farmers to plant 50 million trees on their own.
Apart from getting local fruits such as guava, papaya, and pineapple all year round, exotic foreign fruits such as dragon fruit, avocado, pears, Thai guava, and many more are being grown locally under the project.