CHT coffee waits for frothing up
Al Amin :
The burgeoning success of coffee cultivation in the country heralds a promising future, poised not only to satisfy the local demand but also to yield significant foreign currency through exports in the future.
This remarkable growth in coffee cultivation stems from concerted government initiatives aimed at meeting the burgeoning domestic demand while capitalising on the potential for earning foreign currency through coffee processing.
In Bangladesh, the craving for coffee amounts to approximately 1,000 tonnes, valued at Tk 6 billion.
Nani Gopal Tripura, a resident of Maratila village in Panchari Upazila of Khagrachari District, shares his journey with The New Nation, said, “Since 2021, I have dedicated five acres of my land to nurturing a vibrant coffee garden.”
“From the seedlings sown in the inaugural year, I reaped the rewards last year, with 500 to 600 seedlings blossoming into coffee-bearing trees.
The yield amounted to 5 to 6 kg of coffee, from which I meticulously crafted a powder that boasts an aroma and flavor far superior to conventional market offerings,” he added.
Buoyed by this initial success, Tripura eagerly anticipates a bountiful harvest this year, with all 5,000 trees in his garden now adorned with
blossoms. Encouraged by his example, many others in the region are now embracing coffee cultivation with enthusiasm.
Presently, our country relies heavily on coffee imports, with only 62 tonnes produced domestically. However, since 2021, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has spearheaded efforts to bolster commercial coffee cultivation under the visionary project titled “Research, Development, and Extension of Cashew and Coffee.”
This initiative has seen the DAE orchestrate various exhibitions and provide crucial policy support to farmers, catalyzing a surge in coffee production nationwide.
The overarching objective of this project is to uplift the socio-economic status of communities across 25 Upazilas in the three Chattagram hill tracts districts by expanding coffee and cashew nut cultivation.
By unlocking the latent potential of previously fallow lands, enhancing production, and facilitating the processing and marketing of coffee and cashew nuts, the DAE is paving the way for sustainable employment generation in the region.
Previously, coffee was grown on just 50 hectares of land, but its cultivation has expanded to 1,600 hectares, according to the DAE.
Project Director Shahidul Islam told The New Nation, “Cashew nut and coffee plantations are very promising in the context of Bangladesh. Along with the hill tract region, cultivation of the two is expanding across the country.”
“Farmers are also showing interest. So, meeting the domestic demand by reducing import dependency, there is also a possibility of exporting cashew nuts and coffee abroad in the future,” he added.
He explained that each hectare of land can produce around 2 to 2.5 tonnes of coffee, which can be sold at a current market price of approximately Tk 350 to Tk 400 per kg.
Panchari Upazila Agriculture Officer Nazmul Islam Majumder said, “Coffee Cultivation has become more popular here than cashew nuts because of the soil or climate. Besides, coffee is being cultivated in mango and banana orchards as an inter-crop. No new land is required for cultivation of coffee.”
He further said, “Some 245 coffee trees are being exhibited on 190 hectares of land owned by 138 farmers and around 45,000 coffee seedlings have been given to the farmers at free of cost. As the area is hilly and there is water shortage here, solar drip irrigation structures have been installed in 20 gardens from the project.”
“The biggest success of the project is that the farmers are now coming forward to cultivate coffee on their own initiative and it will become more visible in the region when coffee processing starts,” he added.
