Tangail’s GI pineapple sees bumper yield, Tk 20cr trade expected

Mostafa Kamal Nannu, Tangail:

Madhupur, Tangail, is known as the capital of the pineapple of red ground. Meanwhile, the traditional GI products from Madhupur’s juicy sweet pineapple have begun to rise in the markets of Tangail. This year, favorable weather and proper care have contributed to the bumper yield of pineapples in Tangail.

In addition to the bumper yield of pineapples, the District Agriculture Extension Department sees the possibility of trade worth Tk 20 crore this season. They also have plans to establish a food-making factory using pineapples, including exports abroad.

Pineapples worth Tk 1 crore are being distributed across the country every day, transported by 20 to 4 trucks from the Madhupur Jalfhatra Agricultural Market, Garobazar, Idilpur, Ashrabazar, and Motar Bazar in Tangail.

It is reported that pineapple cultivation in Bangladesh was established 12 years ago. Mizi Dayamayi Sangma of the small ethnic Garo community.He brought five saplings from Meghalaya, India, and started cultivating pineapples at his house. Pineapple is cultivated in different regions of the country by enhancing that cultivation. Pineapple is intertwined with hundreds of years of tradition and history.

The geographical director of the Government of Bangladesh issued recognition of the pineapple from Madhupur as a GI product on September 23, 2021. The Ministry of Industry’s Patent Department, Director General of the Department of Industry Trademark, Momin Hassan, mentioned the pineapple from Madhupur as a geographical indicator product in GI-12 in class 5.

According to the district agriculture extension, the target of producing 2 lakh 12 thousand 5 metric tonnes of pineapple has been estimated from 6.8 hectares of land in Tangail this season. This year, the Tangail Agriculture Department expects to sell pineapple and trade worth over Tk 20 crore.

Deputy Director of the District Agriculture Extension Department, Ashek Parvez, said that Madhupur in Tangail is famous for cultivating pineapples. Pineapples are most commonly cultivated in Madhupur. In addition, pineapples are cultivated in Ghatail, Mirzapur, and Sakhipur upazilas. In the current season, more than 100,000 pineapples are sold daily in various markets, including Garbazar, Jalchara, and Motar Bazar, with a market value of about Tk 3 crore. He expressed optimism that more than Tk 20 crore worth of trade will occur in the district this year.

He also said that this year, 2,220 pineapple saplings have been provided free of charge to every 20 farmers. On the other hand, the agriculture department is providing valuable advice and assistance to pineapple farmers to stop the use of pesticides and increase the yield of pineapples.