RAJSHAHI, Dec 7, 2020 (BSS) – More than 44,166 metric tonnes of sweet
potato are expected to be produced from around 2,372 hectares of land in all
eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current Rabi season.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set the target of
harvesting 10,930 tonnes of the cash crop from 587 hectares of land in four
districts of Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while 33,236 tonnes from 1,785
hectares of land in four other districts in Bogura Agricultural Zone.
Per hectare production target has been set to 18.62 tonnes this year,
said Sirajul Islam, Additional Director of DAE, Rajshahi.
Meanwhile, many of the farmers particularly in the char (riverbed) areas
have become happy over the sweet potato farming in the region during the
current season.
The seasonal crop is cultivated abundantly in char areas of the region
as farmers show their interest for a higher demand of the crop with good
market price.
Mokarram Hossain, a sweet potato farmer of Char Mazar Diar in Paba
upazila, said he has cultivated the crop on three bighas of land this season
by spending around Taka 4,200. He’s hopeful of earning around Taka 20,000 by
selling his produce.
He said low production cost and easy cultivation process made growers
interested in its cultivation and for this reason its cultivation has
increased considerably in char areas of the region.
Faruque Hossain, another grower of Saheb Nagar in Godagari Upazila, said
he has brought three and half bighas of land under cultivation of the crop
this season.
He has earned Taka 15,000 from the sale of the produce through
cultivating the crop on two and half bighas of land last year.
He said sandy char lands are very suitable for the cultivation of the
crop. A farmer can produce 65-70 maunds of the crop on one bigha of land. Per
maund sweet potato can be sold between Taka 550 to Taka 600.
Its cultivation cost is also very low as it needs less fertiliser and
irrigation. Only Taka 6,500 to Taka 7000 is required for the cultivation of
the crop for one bigha of land.
Shamsul Haque, Deputy Director of DAE, told BSS that the sandy lands and
the riverbeds are suitable for the sweet potato cultivation. So, people of
the Ganges and Brahmaputra basins and the remote char areas are habituated in
farming widely besides consuming it.
Production cost of the crop is very low, as it requires less fertilizer
and irrigation. He said the nutritive value of the crop is similar to rice
and its taste is delicious.
It contains vitamin-A and C and expected mineral elements, which are
absent in rice. It is also enriched with protein, carbohydrate, calcium,
iron, carotene and vitamin B1 and B2, which are essential for the human body.
An adult person needs 13 grams vitamin-A per day that can be fulfilled
after consuming only a single sweet potato.
Agriculturist Haque mentioned that people of the Philippines and Papua
New Guinea consume sweet potato as an alternative to rice while in USA and
Japan it is used as food widely.
He also opined that different types of tasty foods like halua, payesh,
bread, pauruti, biscuit, pastry and cake could be made through processing the
indigenous potato.
Dependence on rice can be reduced to a greater extent if people were
habituated to consume sweet potato, he added.