JOYPURHAT, Jan 11, 2021 (BSS) – Potato growers of Joypurhat district are dreaming of bumper production and fair price of their produce in the current season.
Department agricultural extension (DAE) office sources said that the farmers are now busy clearing the fog and tending the potato fields at the end of the winter wet field.
According to sources of DAE last year, potato was cultivated on 38,530 hectares of land, but this time it has been cultivated on 40,315 hectares of land in the district due to favorable weather conditions. The production target has been set at 8 lakh metric tons this year.
As high quality potatoes were produced in the district, the farmers exported the potatoes to nine countries across the globe last year. The countries are – Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Nepal and Russia.
Sources said 8 lakh 15 thousand metric tons of potato was produced last year. Among the high yielding varieties, Ganola, Musica, Diamond, Astorix, Cardinal and Rosetta are the most cultivated ones.
Potato traders are buying potatoes in 15 places in Kalai Upazila and are sending 4/5 thousand maunds of potatoes to different districts of the country every day.
Sohel Rana, potato farmer of Bahirpara village, said, “I have planted Musica variety potatoes on four bighas of land.” The cost of potato production per bigha is about Taka 33 thousand. I earned Taka 14 thousand per bigha of land as profit.
Another potato farmer Abu Yusuf from Purbapara village, said, “I have planted potatoes in 6 bighas of land at the beginning of the season.” Potatoes are now 50 days old. He said that he will start picking potatoes in 10 days.
Sujaul Islam Shuja, another potato trader of Molamgarihat, said every day 4/5 thousand maunds of potatoes are send to Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Khulna, Bagerhat, Pirojpur, Magura, Barisal, Bhola, Noakhali, Gopalganj, Feni and Chittagong.
He also said there is a huge demand for good potatoes in the market.