Home ›› 26 Nov 2021 ›› Nation
Commercial cultivation of ginger, an essential ingredient in Bengali cuisine, is gaining popularity in Rangamati alongside cultivation for domestic consumption as it brings more profit for farmers.
Around 3,150 hectares of land has been brought under ginger cultivation in Rangamati this season and the Department of Agricultural Extension is expecting a yield of almost 40,000 tones in Rangamati.
“Farmers in the district are getting more inclined towards commercial cultivation of ginger for its high economic prospects in the import-based domestic market. The Bangladesh Rural Development Board is also supporting the farmers with different incentives packages which boosted the cultivation of the spice in the hills,” said Deputy Director of Rangamati DAE, Krishna Prasad Mallick.
“Ginger grown in Rangamati has a good demand across the country. If we can facilitate the farmers with proper training, assistance and incentives, the production would be much greater, and we would not have to import the spice from China, India and Myanmar anymore,” said the DAE official, adding that the ginger produced in Rangamati are of the best quality and is costly.
He said that around 20 to 25 tonnes of ginger could be harvested from a hectare of land. At present, one mound of ginger is being sold at Tk 1,500 to Tk 2,000 at the wholesale level based on their quality.
Quoting the DAE officials, farmers said that the tuber crop grows underground, in a layer where water cannot deposit. The district produces two varieties of the tuber crop, one is the native, and the other is of Thai variety. The seeds are sown in April and May. The harvesting period starts at the end of November and continues till December.
The farmers named it a magical crop as it helps to alleviate poverty. It takes a handsome amount of investment to start cultivation, and the production cost is higher than other crops. But the return is three times higher than the cost, they said.
Farmers in Rangamati Sadar, Kawkhali, Kaptai, Rajasthali, Naniarchar and Barkal commercially cultivate the spice on their fallow lands which used to be previously uncultivable.
“As the soil of the hilly areas is appropriate for ginger cultivation, and the weather was also favourable this season, we are expecting a good yield this year,” said Bimol Chakma, 45, a farmer of Junumachhara in Ghagra.
However, he asserted that if the government provides them with additional facilities, they can produce a better yield next year and become self-reliant with ginger. “Commercial cultivation of ginger is relatively new for us. So, if we get any training facilities, it would have been so much better,” said Ratan Chakma, 50, a farmer of Kawkhali.
“We are not being able to dominate the market yet, as the domestic market is flooded with imported gingers from China, India and Myanmar. The ginger produced in Rangamati is tastier than the imported ones; therefore, we hope that it will win the hearts of the consumers in no time,” said Badshah Alam, 30, a ginger trader.
Kawkhali’s Ghagra Bazar, the biggest market in the locality and the main hub for ginger in the district, is located beside the Rangamati-Chattogram Highway. “Over 70 traders control the ginger trade in the market and distribute the spice to different districts, such as Dhaka, Narsingdi, and Manikganj, said trader Alo Chakma, 40.
“We facilitated the farmers with the incentive packages with a hope to decrease import dependency. We are planning to bring about more incentives so that more farmers get into ginger cultivation in the district,” said Firoz Uddin, an official of BRDB.
