Cotton between mango trees: 12–15 maunds a bigha, Tk 35,000–40,000 profit after costs
A Barind farmer in Nachole, Chapainawabganj grows cotton between mango trees and harvests 12–15 maunds a bigha worth Tk 50,000–60,000. With Tk 35,000–40,000 profit per bigha after costs, cotton acreage in the area is rising.
According to BSS, a 54-year-old farmer from Akhila village in Nachole upazila, Chapainawabganj, has profited by growing cotton between the trees of a mango orchard. He harvests 12 to 15 maunds per bigha, worth Tk 50,000 to 60,000. After all costs, the profit is Tk 35,000 to 40,000 per bigha. He said farmers planted cotton on more land this year than last. Another grower from Kazla village in the same upazila has farmed cotton for about 14 years; in his words, cotton needs less cost but gives more profit. A Cotton Development Board field officer said the Barind highlands, where other crops fail for lack of irrigation, suit cotton. Farmers need not go to market to sell, as buyers come to their doorsteps. The board runs 18 units in 15 upazilas in the zone, supplying high-yielding seed, fertiliser and irrigation support, and has trained farmers through 105 demonstration plots. Cotton is spreading as an intercrop in Amrapali mango orchards and onto barren char land, with relay crops such as maize, pumpkin, sesame, mung bean, cucumber and bitter gourd alongside. Cotton seed yields edible oil and oil cake, and the stalks serve as fuel.
Lessons
- 1.Cotton can bring extra income on land where other crops fail for lack of irrigation, or in the gaps of a mango orchard.
- 2.Get seed, fertiliser and training from the local Cotton Development Board unit; they also know the selling channels.
- 3.Relay crops planted alongside cotton raise income from the same land.
Published with the person's permission, without revealing who they are.
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