DHAKA, June 7, 2020 (BSS) – Farmers having contract with local business conglomerate PRAN has enabled a boost up of Cassava production by 55 percent than previous year.
Cassava, which is popularly known as “Shimul Alu” was yielded on an average 4 tons in one acre of land, said a press release today.
PRAN Agro Business’s Chief Operating Officer Mahatab Uddin said “This year, we have collected a total of 19,000 tons of cassava from 4,750 acres of land while we were able to collect 13,191 tons of crops from 5,140 acres of land last year.”
PRAN started collecting crops in November last year and completed in May of this year.
“Some farmers of PRAN have produced maximum 9 tons of cassava from one acre of land in this season and it can be harvested twice a year,” he said.
Mentioning that output of cassava in per acre of land is possible to increase by 14-15 tons by developing a new variety, Mahatab said “If the yield increases, we will encourage farmers to cultivate more.”
Cassava is a root crop which is planted in fallow lands and hilly areas with a little cost and labor.
Farmers in Rangamati, Khagrachhari, Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Tangail, Mymensingh, Jamalpur and Cumilla districts cultivated the cassava this year. Among the districts, the highest amount of cassava came from Khagrachhari and the cultivation of cassava is increasing in Sylhet.
PRAN has bought the crops from the farmers at Taka 7500 for one ton this year.
Mahtab Uddin said PRAN introduced contract farming of cassava in 2014 and has been encouraging the farmers to grow the new crop under its contract farming.
PRAN is encouraging the farmer by conducting training programs, giving financial assistance and providing instruments and seeds at a low cost.
PRAN is manufacturing starch from Cassava. Cassava starch is used as raw material for processing food like bread, cake, biscuit and noodles. Besides, Cassava starch is now been widely used in garment and pharmaceuticals industries.
PRAN-RFL Group Marketing Director Kamruzzaman Kamal said cassava can play vital role in country’s agriculture sector. “We have a cassava processing plant in Habiganj Industrial Park where 60,000 tons of cassava can be processed in a year.”