バングラデシュイチゴ協会（BSA）関連記事

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=46388

Published On: 2008-07-19

National

Workshop on strawberry farming held at RU

RU correspondent

Bangladesh Strawberry Association (BSA) and Botany Department of Rajshahi University yesterday jointly held a day-long workshop on strawberry cultivation in Bangladesh.
RU Acting Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Mamnunul Keramat inaugurated the workshop held at RU Senate Bhavon.
Speakers at the workshop said cultivation of strawberry, a value added crop, has proved successful in the country. If expanded, farmers can be greatly benefited from the fruit having great export potential, they said.
Prof Rafiul Islam and Prof Manjur Hossain discussed possibilities of expansion of cultivation of the crop.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=31304

Published On: 2008-04-08

National

Money-spinner strawberry draws government attention

National Seed Board to approve variety for expansion of cultivation

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi

Strawberry grown at the yard of Dr Manjur Hossain in Rajshahi University. Photo: STAR

Strawberry, a money-spinning nutritious and delicious foreign fruit adapted in Bangladesh, may get government registration soon for cultivation across the country after experiments yielded encouraging results in Rajshahi and Natore.
"Once registered, strawberry cultivation will be expanded with government patronisationin, said Braja Hari Das, deputy director of Rajshahi Directorate of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
With great export potential, the sweet and attractive fruit will open a new horizon for farmers, he told this correspondent.
"A strawberry variety has been sent to National Seed Board and the process for registration is underway", said Dr Shafikul Islam, senior scientific officer of Rajshahi regional Fruit Research Centre (FRC).
Experimental cultivation of strawberry was very successful at Rajshahi FRC and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) in Joydevpur, he said.
The government experiments started in 2006, three years after Dr Manjur Hossain, a teacher of Rajshahi University Botany department evolved several verities suitable for Bangladesh climate after years of research.
Originating in America, strawberry is usually grown in cold regions like Europe and Australia. It is also grown in some parts of India.
Twelve years ago, Dr Manjur brought some strawberry plants while returning from Japan after his PhD. He began research for the first time in country at RU Botany department's Plant Breeding and Gene Engineering Laboratory in 1996.
In five years, he evolved some new varieties suitable for cultivation in Bangladesh climate. He is producing strawberry on his yard in Rajshahi city since 2003.
"Growing strawberries experimentally, I sold 35 kg of the fruit at Tk 300 per kg in 2006 and 87 kg at Tk 550 last year", said Dr. Manjur.
Local fruit importers and some foreigners who visited Manjur's field recently said the strawberry was bigger in size, attractive in taste and colour than in many other countries.
Horticulturist Quamruzzaman is also cultivating the fruit on commercial basis at his Modern Horticulture Center at Harishpur in Natore for last three years.
"Though planted late this year, I sold some 300 kg strawberries at Tk 300 per kg in Dhaka markets this year", he said.
The fruit is best for those who want to get higher and faster returns from limited land, according to Manjur and Quamruzzaman.
Up to Tk 6 lakh can be earned from one bigha of land, they said.
Planted in November-December, its cultivation takes about two and a half months. A farmer can get 2000 kg fruit from one bigha by spending around Tk 20,000, they said.
The country has an annual demand for around 50 tonnes of strawberry, now imported from Thailand and Australia at Tk 900-1200 per kg. Strawberry flavour is also imported, they said quoting importers.
"Enthusiastic people are cultivating the fruit in 24 districts and we have formed Bangladesh Strawberry Association to train growers" said Manjur.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=30152

Published On: 2008-04-01

National

Commercial cultivation of strawberry promises hefty gains for farmers

Anwar Ali, Rajshahi

Quamruzzaman's (inset) strawberry field at Harishpur in Nature left,and Dr. Manjur Hossain with plucked fruits in Rajshahi city. Photo: STAR

Farmers will soon get a new highly value added fruit for commercial cultivation, thanks to years of tireless efforts by two persons.
Rajshahi University Botany teacher Dr Manjur Hossain evolved a variety of strawberry suitable for cultivation in Bangladesh's climate. Horticulturist Quamruzzaman of Natore commercially cultivated the variety on 1.5 bighas of land this year.
The red juicy and nutritious fruit produced by them was supplied to posh markets in Dhaka recently.
With farmer-level price of around Tk 300 per kg, the commercially viable fruit has great export potential and will benefit farmers enormously, the pioneers said while talking to this correspondent at their fields recently.
It can be harvested within two and a half months of plantation and a farmer can earn around Tk 6 lakh from one bigha of land by spending only Tk 20,000, they said.
Besides being taken as a fruit, it is used in preparing ice-cream, jam, jelly, pickle, chocolate, biscuit, cake or milk shake.
Dr Manjur did his PhD in Japan. While returning home, he brought saplings of eight varieties of strawberry in 1996.
Quamruzaaman collected six varieties from Japan and America but none of the varieties sustained in Bangladesh climate.
Manjur evolved some new varieties through tissue culture at the Plant Breeding and Gene Engineering Laboratory at his Botany department. Manjur started filed experiments at Bhadra in Rajshahi city and Quamruzzaman at his Modern Horticulture Center at Harishpur in Natore.
In 2003, three varieties yielded encouraging results and were found suitable in local climate. Out of the three, RU-3 and Modern-3 varieties were found very impressive in size, taste and flavour.
"We found the best results this year in hilly areas at Matiranga Army Zone where 26 Cavalry Division produced quality strawberries from 200 saplings", said Dr Manjur.
Strawberry cultivation is as easy as growing potatoes or brinjals. Saplings can be sown in rows in November and December. The plant starts flowering within one month of plantation and fruits can be collected till March.
Saplings can be collected from nurseries of Dr Manjur and Quamruzzaman in Natore.
Each plant bears around 250 to 300 grams of fruits and some 6000 plants can be grown on one bigha of land, they said.
Now, traders import strawberry from Thailand and Australia at Tk 900 to Tk 1200 per kg. Strawberry flavour is also imported.
A farmer can get 2000 kg fruit from one bigha of land by spending Tk 20,000.

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=29295

Published On: 2008-03-26

Business

Strawberry farming to sweeten economy

Nur Uddin Alamgir, Ctg

Strawberry cultivated on experimental basis at Matiranga in Khagrachhari holds bright prospect. Photo: STAR

Successful cultivation of lip-smacking strawberry has ushered in a new economic prospect for thousands of people at Matiranga, a remote upazila in Khagrachhari district.
Matiranga Zone of Bangladesh Army grew strawberry on an experimental basis following the success in the first such cultivation at Rajshahi University (RU).
With the success, the Zone is now set to go for popularising strawberry cultivation in the upazila, providing the locals with required supports, sources said.
The initiative was taken as cultivation of the fruit on a small piece of land with a little investment can help an individual earn handsome profit in the hilly upazila where people mainly depend on agriculture but lack cultivable land, said the sources in Matiranga Army Zone.
Strawberry cultivation does not need much land and takes time not more than two and a half months. It is not a tough job, as a farmer only needs to process the soil a little.
Lack of farmland forces the poor hilly people to go for 'Jhoom' cultivation, a way of growing crops on the slopes of hills, they said. Jhoom cultivation is also risky as it causes natural disaster like landslides.
Some 200 saplings planted at the Zone compound around two and a half months back brought forth a good yield this month proving the initiative a success.
The strawberry grown at Matiranga belongs to a special species, which Prof Manjur Hossain of RU botany department developed with the help of Prof Rafiul Islam and some students of the department.
Both the professors were invited at a ceremony organised on the occasion of harvesting strawberry at the Army Zone on Saturday.
The professors said they started a research in this regard in 1996 and found three species -- Rabi-1, Rabi-3 and Rabi-3 -- in 2003. Of them, Rabi-3 is cultivated at Matiranga since it produces saplings faster than the other two species.
Prof Manjur said, "Strawberry usually grows in the countries where winter prevails most of the time and our climate is not suitable for the plants. That's why we developed the species that can be grown here."
Prices of imported strawberry vary from Tk 900 to Tk 1000 per kg. A farmer can yield 2000 kg of strawberry from one bigha of land. "If we sell strawberry even at Tk 100 per kg, it will help earn Tk 2 lakh from one bigha," said Prof Manjur.
At first the farmers have to buy the mother plants from the university at Tk 20 per sapling and later they will be able to produce the saplings themselves, he said.
The teachers already trained 129 persons from 24 districts on strawberry cultivation and sent saplings to the districts for experimental farming.
Zone Commander Lt Col Yusuf said, "Strawberry has a huge demand abroad and we are trying to help the locals make profit with small investment."