Traditional practice of palm husbandry in the southeastern region of rural Bangladesh: status and potentials

Abstract

An exploratory study was conducted in Feni, in southeast Bangladesh, to determine the status and potentials of palm husbandry in the rural economy. A total of 48 households in the study area were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. The farmers were categorized into five groups based on their landholdings. Palms comprised the highest percentage (53%) of homegarden species. The most common palm was betel nut (Areca catechu). This species was distributed over five different geographical sites, of which roadsides were most common. Farmers with medium landholdings had the greatest number of palms. Farmers typically received considerably less compensation than distributors higher in the marketing chain who handled their product. Juice or sap from the wild date palm (Phoenix sylvestris) gave the highest net average profit per liter and annual income per tree. Landless farmers gain the highest proportion of their mean annual income from palm husbandry.