Home ›› 24 Nov 2021 ›› Nation
Both yield and market price have made potato growers in the Rajshahi region, including its vast Barind tract, happy during the current harvesting season.
“Over 14.13 lakh metric tonnes of potato were harvested in 60,726 hectares of cropland in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore districts last year, and we are expecting to exceed the target this year,” said Sirajul Islam, additional director of Rajshahi divisional office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
“Although we have fixed a target of cultivating 13.11 lakh metric tonnes in 61,590 hectares of cropland, we are optimistic that this year’s production would be better than last year,” he added.
The demand for potatoes increased in the last few years due to the growing popularity of potato-based snacks. Suitable climatic conditions and less disease infestation also reduced production cost, and therefore, there was growing interest among farmers in cultivating this crop, the DAE official also said.
After opting for the early maturing varieties of potato, such as Ganola, Musica, Diamond, Astorix, Cardinal and Rosetta, the farmers are getting a profit of Tk 15,000 to Tk 20,000 per bigha of land, said Mahmudul Faruque, deputy director of Natore DAE.
Not only that, they are able to cultivate Boro paddy in the same land right after the potato harvest, minimising the use and cost of Urea fertilisers and securing a profit from the second crop as well, he added.
He further mentioned that about 160 to 200 kilogrammes of seed are required to produce 75 to 100 maunds of potatoes in a bigha of land with a production cost of Tk 25,000.
According to DAE sources, about 660 hectares of cropland in Natore and 40,350 hectares in Joypurhat have been brought under potato cultivation this year.
They said the growers were delighted as they got good yield due to favourable weather conditions everywhere in the region, including its vast Barind tract, which has become a suitable place for potato production over the past couple of years. Farmers are also getting a fair price for their produce this season, they added.
Potatoes are high in carbohydrates, potassium, magnesium, iron, copper, and manganese. They also contain vitamin C and most of the B vitamins, said Sirajul Islam of Rajshahi divisional DAE.
“As they contain a little bit of almost every nutrient people need, it is essential to include potato in our regular diet,” added the DAE official.
“We are giving necessary suggestions to the farmers to face the cold situation so that the growing potato fields are not affected by late blight disease. We are also assisting the farmers in making the extensive potato farming a success,” he further said.
