Sunday , 22 December, 2024 | 8 পৌষ, 1431 Bangabdo
Published: 06:26 1 October 2024
After obtaining the GI certificate for pineapples from Madhupur Gard in Tangail, now there is a demand to keep the quality of this certification intact. With the good news spreading all over the country with the red soil of geographical indication recognition, the conscious circles, consumers, those who are staying in Madhupur in different parts of the country have also raised the demand to maintain the quality of pineapple tradition and recognition now is the need of the hour.
For this reason, in the capital of pineapples, organic methods are used in the cultivation of balanced amounts of fertilizers. Farmers should increase multipurpose use of juicy fruits to get fair prices. The stakeholders feel that there is no alternative to building industrial plants besides processing. However, if a commercial market can be created for pineapples in the international market, export opportunities can be created. As farmers will benefit from this, the country will get foreign currency. New avenues of employment creation can be opened. May be the new door of pineapple possibilities. Those concerned think so.
Talking to the locals, it is known that even though Madhupur is called the capital of pineapple, the fruit-centered industrial factory has a huge opportunity to produce various products including juice, jelly, biscuits, but the farmers have not been able to progress economically as expected. As the pineapple market area, various fertilizer, poison, pesticide companies are selling crores worth of products every year. The fortune line of the farmer revolves around the hope of various benefits and profits with pineapple production growth wise. Growth color brightness means the price is also increasing. At the same time, the consumption graph index is also increasing by leaps and bounds. However, if the cost is excluded, the profit figure is very low. The profit from the middle goes to the company. Due to farmers not knowing the quantity of inputs, over-use doubles the cost.
On the other hand, the fruit is also not considered safe at the consumer level. Tasteless is the comment heard everywhere that it does not taste like before. The advice of conscious people is to get out of this and move towards low-cost production by biological means. The price of the queen of fruits, pineapple, will also continue to rise when consumers feel safe. Lost traditions will return. Locals believe that recognition as a GI product will bring fame in the country and abroad. This information is known to talk to various farmers, wholesalers, moneylenders, farmers, agriculture department and consumers and related parties of Madhupur.
Farmers, wholesalers and van drivers told the largest pineapple market when they went to the market, where oranges, apples, grapes, gooseberries, mangoes and other fruits are sold at per kg rates. The price is also very high. Juicy pineapples cost less there. A pineapple weighing 2-3 kg costs Tk 20/30. How much does a kilo of oranges cost there? That is why they demanded processing.
However, Ajay Emri, the tribal leader of Gachabari village, told about the sixties of pineapple cultivation. He said that at that time pineapples were cultivated organically. Because of the smell, the infestation of foxes and rats was high. The taste and smell were incomparable. There was no cost. He advises on the safe way of pineapple cultivation.
Golabari Union Community Medical Officer Rokunuzzaman Ranju said that the recognition status of GI products should be maintained. Now is the best time to take initiative to get rid of all kinds of chemicals and adulterants. According to him, on the one hand, farmers will benefit if pineapple-centric multi-purpose industries are built. Employment will be created for people.
Madhupur Upazila Agriculture Officer Shakura Nammi said that large amount of pineapples are grown in the area. GI Accredited. Until now, efforts were being made to export pineapples abroad. If he can do that, he thinks that the door of possibilities will open.
Madhupur Upazila Executive Officer Zubair Hossain said that Madhupur Pineapple got GI certificate last year following the application of the Deputy Commissioner. Now we have to maintain the tradition by farming organically. If there is a pineapple-centric industrial factory, the farmers would have benefited if they could export products such as juice, jelly, biscuits, etc. to foreign countries. He said that this is the foreign currency that the country gets.
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