Late blight attack worries northern  potato farmers

Potato farmers in Rangpur region are struggling a lot to save their potato plants and worried about the yield of the winter vegetable this season as the ongoing adverse weather has caused the outbreak of late blight disease in many areas.

Late blight, locally known as patamora rog, is a fungal disease, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Deputy Director of Rangpur, Shaminur Rhaman said adding that if immediate steps are not taken, leaves of the affected plants turn blackish and die shortly after.

DAE officials said the government has set a target of producing 23, 39,930 tonnes of potato from 92,675 hectares of land in the region during the current Rabi season.

The farmers sowed potato seeds till January in the mainland and char areas in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Nilphamari, Kurigram and Lalmonirhat districts of the region.

The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC), Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and related organisations have supplied quality potato seeds and given the farmers assistance to make the farming programme successful.

Meanwhile, farmers have harvested early varieties of potato and they are preparing the lands for boro cultivation. They have got better prices of the early harvested potato that has adequate supply in local markets.

Many of the farmers in the region said their potato plants have been affected by a cold injury that develops late blight diseases and fungus infection. Leaves of the plants turn a yellowish colour and wither away shortly, which made the farmers compelled to count much.

A farmer, Afzal Hossain, 65, of Imadpur village under Mithapukur upazila of the district said,” I have planted potato on three bighas of land,  plants in the field become two months matured. I have noticed recently rotten diseases have developed in the plants.”

Farming has become expensive as the prices of fertiliser, diesel, insecticides, medicines and labour costs have increased much this year.

“My net cost stood around Tk 30,000 including medicines. I have to spend an additional Tk 10,000 on medicine. The cost of farming was low compared to last year.  I expect to harvest at least 90 maunds of potato if the crop is not affected by the diseases,” he also said.    

Bachha Miah, 45, a farmer of Gadha village under Kishoregonj upazila of Nilphamari district said he has planted potatoes on five bighas of land as the farming is profitable. The Leaves of the plants in his land have turned yellowish and rotten. He becomes hopeless and frustrated.  He has been applying medicine and spraying in the field.

A pesticide and insecticide dealer, Shafiqul Islam Rupu at Modern intersection of Rangpur city, said retailers and farmers are buying Mancozeb mixture medicine to control fungal diseases. If the diseases are not protected fast, it will spread rapidly.

Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu   president, Rangpur Chamber and Commerce and Industry (RCCI)   said, potato is a lucrative crop being produced largely in the region that has strengthened the regional economy creating a huge job generation. There were some 102 cold storages in eight districts of the Rangpur division which could preserve 9.5 lakh tonnes of potato.

Farmers have cultivated potatoes on vast tracts of land this season. Their hopes will be shattered if the diseases are not curbed, he added.

DAE Shaminur Rhaman said, “Dense fog and prolonged cold waves in the region have affected some potato fields. The farmers could not understand about spraying medicines on the plants timely. So, fungus infections are found in some few potato fields of the districts.”