Kushtia representative: The taste and reputation of the country’s betel leaves have spread beyond the borders to other countries as well. Apart from meeting the local demand, Kushtia betel is being exported to several countries in the Middle East. In addition to earning foreign exchange, farmers are benefiting.
Those concerned think that if the state level is more proactive, it is possible to earn foreign currency by exporting betel not only to the Middle East but also to various countries around the world. Apart from that, the farmers have demanded the establishment of a betel nut research center in Kushtia.
Even though betel is grown in different parts of the country, Kushtia (Kushtia, Chuadanga, Meherpur, and Jhenaidah) betel is valued all over the country for its characteristics and taste. For a long time, farmers in this region have grown betel nuts as a cash crop.There are numerous stories and legends about the lives of the people who cultivate betel nuts in this area.
Almost all of Kushtia’s upazilas grow some form of betel.However, due to the geography and availability of materials, cultivation is abundant in Kushtia Sadar, Bheramara, and Daulatpur upazilas. Besides cultivating other crops, thousands of farmers are involved in betel nut cultivation. Kushtia betel has been exported to some countries in the Middle East, including Saudi Arabia and Jordan, for several years.
Farmers said that many markets have been developed in Kushtia based on betel cultivation. Fariyas or artaddars buy betel from the farmers in the markets and send it to different markets in the country. Sometimes traders from other regions also buy betel from these markets.
At 80, betel is sold as a bira or pon.Drinks are sold in the same manner throughout the country. The betel fields are locally called “Pan Baraj.” Farmers break betel leaves and sell them in the market.
Farmers said that exportable betel is collected directly from farmers’ “baraj” and not from the market. Beans collected for export are called “supply beans” by fariyas (traders). Farmers who want to sell their crops notify the farayas.Farias go to the fields and collect betel with their own people.
But betel is not collected from all fields for export. Large, heavy betelnuts with good color and disease-free quality are collected.These drinks are sold at a higher price than the current market price. Only the best fruits from the field are taken. The fariyas collected betel from the fields all day and delivered it to the exporters in Dhaka. Day by day, the demand for exports is increasing.
According to Sagar, a paan farmer in Taragunia village, Daulatpur upazila, one paan is currently sold for Tk 140 to Tk 160 depending on the quality.Fazlur Rahman, farmer of Kuchiamora village in Bheramara upazila, said that if betel is cultivated scientifically and modernly, it will be possible to increase the production of exportable betel. He demanded the establishment of the Pan Research Center in Kushtia.
Faria Jamshed Ali said that betel was bought from the farmers in pounds, but later it was sold in kilograms. They collect betel as agents of exporters. An average of 10 tons of betel leaves are collected from Kushtia every day for export. This collection lasts for three to four months of the year. The best time to collect export betel nuts is from November to January.
Hayat Mahmud, deputy director of the Kushtia District Agriculture Extension Department, said that the agriculture office provides necessary advice to betel growers for safe betel production using organic methods. A lot of betel is exported from Kushtia abroad. Farmers are benefiting from this.
