RANGPUR, Jan 2, 2020 (BSS) – As sowing of seeds still continues, farmers have already exceeded the fixed farming target of potato predicting a super bumper output of the crop in Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.
According to farmers, harvest of early varieties of potatoes continues in full swing now bringing lucrative price making them happy in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari in the region.
The farmers are now selling their newly harvested early varieties of potatoes between Taka 15 and 30 per kilogram to small traders directly from crop fields depending on the qualities and varieties.
However, retailers at different urban and rural markets are selling newly harvested potatoes at rates between Taka 18 and Taka 50 per kg depending on different varieties and qualities after purchasing those from wholesalers.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) today told BSS that a target of producing about 22.64-lakh tonnes of potato has been fixed from 86,642 hectares of land for Rangpur agriculture region this season.
“The farmers have already brought 89,235 hectares of land under potato farming exceeding the fixed farming target by 2,593 hectares of and or three percent,” said Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman.
The farmers will continue sowing of potato seeds till this month end to bring more land under its farming in the region during this Rabi season.
“The farmers are now harvesting early varieties of potatoes those were cultivated after harvesting short duration and hybrid varieties of Aman rice on their croplands and earning better profits,” Moniruzzaman added.
Talking to BSS, farmers Ariful Haque Batul, Helal Mian, Mahmudul Haque, Raju Mina, Ashik Ali of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they had cultivated early varieties of potatoes after harvesting short duration Aman rice.
They are harvesting and selling their cultivated early varieties of potatoes and earning lucrative profits now before transplantation of Boro rice seedlings from next week on the same land.
Similarly, farmers Echhahaq Ali, Aiyub Ali, Ahsan Hossain and Kabir Uddin of different villages here said they are preparing their land for transplantation of Boro rice seedlings after completing harvest of early varieties of potatoes on the same land.
President of Rangpur District Potato Growers’ Association and bigger potato grower Alhaj Khwaja Ahmed expressed happiness over present market price of potato and urged the government for ensuring fair price of late varieties of potatoes too.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said the DAE, BADC and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute have provided quality potato seeds and technologies to farmers to make the potato farming program successful.
The field level officials of agriculture-related departments and organisations are also assisting farmers for properly sowing of potato seeds and agronomic management to get maximum crop yield.
“Besides, adequate steps have been taken by the authorities concerned for ensuring smooth supply of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs to farmers for smooth potato cultivation this season in the region,” Ali said.