RAJSHAHI, Sept 1, 2019 (BSS) – Arum farming has been gaining popularity
everywhere in the region including its vast Barind tract due to its high
demand and nutrition values as its cultivation has changed many farmers
fortune with bumper production and high profit.
A lot of farmers have started cultivating arum commercially as its market
price is rising gradually, said Monzurul Huda, Deputy Director of Department
of Agriculture Extension (DAE) here.
Locally known as ‘Latiraj’, arum is usually planted in early January and
its harvesting begins in mid-April, he said, adding the harvesting continues
for eight months till mid-December.
“A farmer gets 3 to 5 maunds of yield from each decimal of land,” he went
on saying.
Per mound of arum is being sold at Taka 1,400 to 1,600 in wholesale market
as the consumers can purchase it at Taka 50 per kilogram from retailers or
vendors, he added.
Shamsul Haque, another Deputy Director of the DAE said arum is an
environment-friendly and nourishing vegetable item, adding the agriculture
department has been advising farmers on cultivating high yield variety of
arum.
He said the farmers of the region are expected to grow huge quantity of
arum this year by using modern technology and compost fertilizer as per
suggestion of DAE.
Farmers are now cultivating different varieties of arum in the region and
almost all the varieties are grown in the water-logged areas, he continued.
MukhiKachu, a variety of arum, has been cultivated on over 500 hectares of
land and PaniKachu, it’s another variety, on over 150 hectares of land in the
district this year, he said, adding the farmers were given suggestions for
cultivating Pani Kachu in marshlands where other crops do not grow well.
Mozammel Haque, 39, an arum farmer of Nandigram village of Durgapur
upazila, said he has cultivated mukhi arum on three bighas of land, expecting
bumper production.
He planted the arum seed in last week of January and began harvesting in
the first week of August.
He said arum grows well on his land and he has been cultivating this
vegetable for last few years because he gets good profit at lower expenses.
Abdul Gafur, another farmer of Mohishalbari village under Godagari upazila
said he cultivated Taro Arum (Mukhi Kachu or BoiKachu) and got an excellent
yield of the crop this season.
He added that a farmer can get 2-3 maunds of Taro Arum from each decimal
of land.
Dr Khalilur Rahman, Professor of Medicine in Rajshahi Medical College
Hospital, called arum as nourishing and tasty vegetable. This food item works
as a remedy of different diseases, he claimed.