RANGPUR, Feb 9, 2021 (BSS) – Officials and experts of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are expecting an all-time record production of potato in Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.
Many potato farmers expressed happiness over the excellent market price between Taka 15 and 25 per kg as harvesting of the crop continues in full swing everywhere in all five districts of the region.
“The government has fixed a target of producing 23.67 lakh tonnes of potato from 93,350 hectares of land for the region this season,” Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman told BSS today.
Meanwhile, farmers have finally cultivated the crop on 97,315 hectares of land crossing the fixed farming target by 3,965 hectares or 4.25 percent aiming at recouping the huge crop losses they incurred during the last year’s floods.
The farmers have already harvested potatoes on 18,588 hectares of land producing over 3,75,521 tonnes with an average yield rate of 20.20 tonnes of the crop per hectare of land till on Monday.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute and related agencies and institutions provided quality potato seeds to farmers to make the potato farming programme a success.
“The field level DAE officials provided latest technologies to farmers to ensure proper nursing of their growing potato plants to get better yield, braving the COVID-19 pandemic and cold wave,” Moniruzzaman added.
Talking to BSS today, President of Rangpur District Potato Growers’ Association Alhaj Khwaja Ahmed said farmers are getting excellent yield with high prices of ‘Diamond’, ‘Cardinal’, ‘Raja’, ‘Granula’, and ‘Astarisk’ varieties of potato this year.
Potato traders Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Market and Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara kitchen market said the retailers are selling potatoes at rates between Taka 18 and 30 per kg depending on varieties and qualities.
Talking to BSS, potato farmers Arman Hossain, Manik Mian, Dulal Chandra Sarker of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila expressed happiness over the excellent potato yield and its present market prices.
“I have cultivated potatoes on my three acres of land. I am getting excellent production as the harvest continues,” said another farmer Ariful Haque, adding that he is preparing to preserve his produced potatoes in local cold storages.
Potato traders Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Market and Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara kitchen market said the retailers are selling potatoes at rates between Taka 18 and 28 per kg depending on varieties and qualities of the commodity.
President of Rangpur Chamber Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu predicted a brighter prospect of exporting huge quantities of potato from Rangpur region and stressed on establishing potato-based agro-industries and preservation facilities to ensure fair price.