Monsoon is the time when floating guava markets on canals crisscrossing thousands of guava orchards, in Jhalakathi’s Bhimruli and Pirojpur’s Atghar Kuriana under Nesarabad upazila, become alive with visitors from all over the country.
A network of canals connects the guava orchards spread out across 30 villages where one will also find several hundred orchards of ambarella or hog plum, commonly known as aamra.
The 200-year-old guava markets of Bhimruli and Atghar Kuriana have gradually become hubs for all sorts of produce and agricultural products.
The best time to visit the markets is the months between July and October during the monsoon when the canals are full to the brim while the trees, full of ripe guavas, in the orchards wear eye-soothing green.
At dawn around this time of the year, farmers load up their boats with freshly plucked guava and other produce and set up their floating store on one of the main canals at the markets.
The visitors on hired boats, motorized or paddle, turn up in droves to shop for fresh fruits or just to look around the floating markets that close around noon time.
On Fridays, the canals turn into a carnival of life as visitors of all ages roam around the markets and orchards in several hundred colorful boats.
Sanjida Aktar, a university student from Dhaka, said, “I’m captivated by the beauty of the guava orchards and the scenery that surrounds those. I really enjoyed the experience of floating through the narrow canals on a small boat.”
It is an unforgettable feeling to be able to taste a fresh guava after plucking it straight from the boat for the first time, she also said.
Lopa, another visitor, said excitingly, “I got the chance to get inside an orchard, climb a tree, pluck a fresh guava and eat it.”
“You forget everything else when you are on a boat in a canal that runs through a beautiful guava orchard. [That’s why] I try to come here every year to enjoy the beauty,” she added.
Local farmers and businesses cannot be happier to witness the rise in number of visitors at the markets.
Tea stall owner Shubhrojit said, “Thanks to better road conditions, hundreds of visitors are coming to the markets, helping pick up my sales fivefold.”
A local guava farmer, Satish Halder, said, “We used to sell a kilogram of guava at half a taka during peak season. But now, we get at least Tk 8 -15 (USD 0.01-0.18) for a kg from the tourists.”
Prof Shah Sajeda, former chairman of marketing department at BM College in Barisal, said, “Tourists now look for new places to experience something extraordinary. That’s why the floating markets have become so popular to them.”
“This [influx of visitors] could create further business opportunities if proper facilities for tourists are set up there,” she added.
Contacted, Jhalakathi Deputy Commissioner Johar Ali said some structures are under construction as part of their efforts to improve tourist experience in the area.