Rangpur region to produce over 11,000 tonnes of groundnut

A target of producing 11,688 tonnes of groundnut from 6,015 hectares of land has been fixed for all five districts in Rangpur agriculture region during the current (2021-2022) Rabi season.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers produced a record 13,191 tonnes of groundnut from 6,027 hectares of land exceeding the fixed production target of 12,161 tonnes during the last Rabi season.

“Farmers have already completed sowing of groundnut seeds on 4,195 hectares of land as the process continues amid excellent climatic conditions,” Additional Director of the DAE’s Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Tauhidul Ikbal said. Tender groundnut plants are growing fabulously now both on the mainland and vast riverine char areas in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region.

Farmers are expanding groundnut farming every year after getting repeated bumper production and lucrative market price in the last 13 consecutive years, even during the Covid-19 pandemic period.

As a result of conducting massive motivational activities by the DAE and other agriculture related organisations, farmers are cultivating high yielding varieties of groundnut evolved by Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI).

Farmers are showing keen interests in enhancing groundnut cultivation on main lands and char areas to reap more profits than many other crops following the constantly increasing demand of the crop.

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

Farmers are getting excellent groundnut yield by cultivating its high yielding varieties evolved by BARI in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari in the region.

High yielding varieties of groundnut like Maizchar, Tridana, Basonti, BARI-8, BARI-6, BINA-4 and BINA-8 are mostly being cultivated by farmers after getting repeated bumper output and lucrative price in recent years.

With increasing demand for groundnut in the country’s boosting food industry sector, enthusiastic farmers are expanding groundnut cultivation every year.

“Some 7,000 farmers, mostly living in riverine char areas, have achieved self-reliance by cultivating groundnut twice annually on sandy char lands with assistance of the DAE and different NGOs improving their living standard,” Rashid added. Farmer Abdur Rahman of village Char Ghoneshyam village in Jatrapur union of Kurigram said he has cultivated groundnut on one acre of char land spending Tk 20,000 this year to recoup the crop losses caused by recent floods.

Farmers Abdul Hakim and Bachchu Mian of Char Nawani Para in the same area said they have cultivated groundnut on more char land this season after getting bumper production and excellent prices every year in recent times.

Similarly, farmers Abul Hashem, Lokman Hossain and Abdul Haque of Char Biswanath village in Kawnia upazila of Rangpur said they have cultivated groundnut on more char lands this year than the previous seasons.