Indigenous fruits disappearing in Narsingdi

NARSINGDI, Sept 11 (BSS): Native fruits are gradually disappearing due to adverse impact of climate change.

Use of agro-chemicals and lack of a proper planning on production and marketing of the fruits are also main reasons in this regard.

Sources with the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said once Narsingdi was considered as one of the leading districts in producing indigenous fruits.

The district was well-known for producing fruits like gab, deowa, kathbel, sufada, hog plum, pomegranate, blackberry, rose-berry, olive, tamarind, star-apple, chalta, shorifa, etc.

But with the passage of time, the sources said, production of the fruits has been declining alarmingly posing a serious threat to the very existences of the varieties.

DAE Deputy Director Latapat Hossain has attributed the drastic fall in the production of local fruits to climate change, unplanned urbanization, air-pollution and indiscriminate use of agri-chemicals and pesticides.

Hossain said the DAE is encouraging the village people for planting saplings of native fruit varieties on a large scale.

Apart from this, he said, exhibitions of local fruits are being arranged in the district for increasing the farming of the varieties.

Monsur Ali, 75, a resident of Adiabad village under Raipura upazila, said, housing for the increasing of population is the main reason behind the declining of native fruit varieties. Many villagers are building houses cutting fruit bearing trees, he added.