Rangpur potato growers eying bumper production

Farmers are expecting a bumper potato production in Rangpur agriculture region where early varieties of potato have already appeared in local markets with lucrative prices making them happy.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a target of producing 22,64,596 tonnes of potato has been fixed from 97,125 hectares of land for Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.

“Farmers have already brought 61,200 hectares of land, 63 percent against the fixed farming target, under potato cultivation in the region till Saturday,” Additional Director of the DAE’s Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Tauhidul Ikbal said on Sunday.

Sowing of potato seeds will continue till January next both in the mainland and char areas in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts in the region.

Meanwhile, farmers are continuing harvest of early potato varieties they had cultivated after harvesting short duration and hybrid varieties of Aman rice on their croplands since November last in the region.

“Enthusiastic farmers are showing keen interest in farming potatoes both in the mainland and char areas after getting government assistance in the region during the last 12 years,” he said.

The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute and related organizations have provided quality potato seeds to farmers to make the intensive potato farming a success this season.

“Officials of the DAE and other related organizations are providing latest technologies to farmers in properly nursing their potato fields to get better yield even facing the upcoming possible cold wave situation,” Ikbal added.

Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid lauded various initiatives taken by the government to assist farmers in enhancing production of potato and other winter crops.