Bumper ginger production likely in Rangpur region

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and farmers are expecting a bumper production of ginger as harvest of the spicy crop continues in the Rangpur agriculture region.

The DAE officials said a target of producing 51,204 tonnes of ginger was fixed from 3,615 hectares of land for all five districts of the region during the Kharif-1 season this year.

“Farmers have cultivated ginger on 3,550 heaters of land, less by only 65 hectares of land against the fixed farming target,” Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Emdad Hossain Sheikh said on Wednesday.

During the last Kharif-1 season, farmers cultivated ginger on 3,541 hectares of land and got a bumper production of the spicy crop in the region.

“Farmers are showing more interest in expanding cultivation of ginger and other spicy crops after getting repeated bumper production with lucrative market prices every year,” he said.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md Obaidur Rahman Mandal said farming of ginger and other spicy crops is increasing every year following various pragmatic steps taken by the government.

The DAE is providing quality seeds, seedlings and training to farmers to enhance the cultivation and production of ginger and other spicy crops adopting the latest technologies to attain self-reliance on locally produced all spicy crops.

Farmers Mohsin Ali, Golam Mostafa and Lokman Hossain of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila said they have already begun harvesting their cultivated ginger and getting excellent yields with better market prices.

Farmers Niaz Uddin, Anwar Hossain, Mofizar Rahman and Mozaffar Hossain of Taraganj upazila and Faruk Hossain and Bahadur Ali of Badarganj upazila in Rangpur said they are expecting bumper ginger production.

“Farmers are selling newly harvested ginger at rates between Tk 2,300 and Tk 2,400 per mound (every 40 kgs) to local ginger traders,” said farmer Echhahaq Ali of village Kathihara in Sadar upazila of Rangpur.

Retail vegetable trader Hafizur Rahman at City Bazar Market in Rangpur city said they are currently selling newly harvested ginger at rates between Tk 65 and Tk 70 per kilogram.

Agriculturist Dr Md Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Medal 2018 (food security), lauded the government for taking various realistic steps through the DAE and other organisations to increase the production of spicy crops.

Production of ginger and other spicy crops could be increased largely by bringing fallow lands and homesteads under the farming of high-yielding varieties of spicy crops like ginger and turmeric to attain self-reliance.