RANGPUR, June 5, 2021 (BSS) – Farmers are happy getting bumper production of garlic with lucrative market price during the just-ended Rabi season in Rangpur Agriculture Region.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials said a target of bringing 3,495 hectares of land under garlic cultivation to produce 26,811 tonnes of garlic was fixed for the region this time.
However, farmers cultivated garlic on 3,509 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target of 14 hectares or 0.40 percent of land in the region.
“After completing harvest, farmers produced 28,151 tonnes of garlic exceeding the fixed production target by 140 tonnes at the average yield rate of 8.02 tonnes per hectare,” said Agriculturist Bibhu Bhshan Roy, additional director of the DAE for Rangpur region.
Farmers produced 8,931 tonnes of garlic from 1,145 hectares of land in Rangpur, 2,700 tonnes from 360 hectares in Gaibandha, 5,126 tonnes from 679 hectares in Kurigram, 3,936 tonnes from 410 hectors in Lalmonirhat and 7457 tonnes from 915 hectares of land in Nilphamari districts of the region.
The DAE and other agriculture related organisations extended necessary assistance and latest technologies to farmers to attain the fixed production target in the region.
“Farmers are showing keen interest every year in expanding garlic farming adopting eco-friendly technologies after getting repeated bumper production and fair prices for the spicy crop in recent times,” Roy added.
Mofizar Rahman, a farmer of Kursha Danga village in Taraganj upazila of Rangpur, said he had cultivated garlic on his farmland using the zero tillage method and got a bumper yield of the spicy crop this time.
Another farmer Mokhlesur Rahman of Osmanpur Khamarerdanga village in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur district said he cultivated garlic, completed harvest and got excellent output with better price.
Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said farmers are showing more interest in farming garlic adopting the zero tillage method on the same land after harvesting Aman paddy.
“Residual values of organic fertilizers and soil moisture of the paddy fields help the garlic farming a lot, ” he said, adding that adoption of the zero tillage method for sowing seed is effective in increasing production by saving costs of labour and irrigation.
He said many government and non-governmental organisations are working for promoting water-saving crops in Rangpur agriculture region while the zero tillage garlic farming method opens up a new perspective to enhance production of the spicy crop.
Retail vegetable trader Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara Kitchen Market in Rangpur city said farmers are selling newly harvested garlic at rates between Taka 2,600 and Taka 3,300 per mound (every 40 kgs) to wholesalers.
“However, retailers are selling garlic at rates between Taka 3,200 and Taka 3,800 per mound or between Taka 80 and Taka 95 per kg depending on the size and quality on an average in local markets,” Rahman added.