Rangpur region produces record 21,382 tonnes of groundnut

An all-time record of 21,382 metric tonnes of groundnut was produced during the last Rabi and just-ended Kharif-1 seasons this year in Rangpur agriculture region.

Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) officials said this year, the groundnut has been produced higher by 364 metric tonnes than that of last year which saw production of 21,018 tonnes.

Agriculturist Bidhu Bhusan Ray, Additional Director of the DAE, Rangpur region said a target of producing 12,161 metric tonnes of groundnut from 6,160 hectares of land was fixed for Rangpur agriculture region for the last Rabi season.

“However, braving the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers cultivated groundnut on 6,027 hectares of land and produced 13,191 metric tonnes of the crop exceeding the fixed production target during the last Rabi season,” he said.

Similarly, the DAE had fixed a target of producing 8,359 metric tonnes of groundnut from 4,880 hectares of land for the region during the just-ended Kharif-1 season.

Farmers, however, cultivated the crop on 4,400 hectares of land and completed harvest last week producing 8,191 tonnes of the cash crop during the Kharif-1 season in the region.

Meanwhile, farmers are getting superb groundnut output by cultivating its high yielding varieties evolved by Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari of the region.

Farmers mostly cultivated ‘Maizchar’, ‘Tridana’, ‘Basonti’, BARI-8, BARI-6, BINA-4, BINA-8 and other high yielding varieties of groundnut on their lands after getting repeated bumper output and lucrative price in the last 12 years.

“With increasing demand of groundnut in the country, farmers are expanding groundnut cultivation on main lands and char areas every year,” he said.

Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said farmers can earn Taka 40,000 by producing 26 to 30 mounds of groundnut per acre of land, spending around Tk 20,000 as farming costs per acre.