Bumper harvest make Rangpur groundnut farmers happy

The farmers are very happy getting a bumper production of 11,734 tonnes of groundnut and high market prices in Rangpur agriculture region during the 2022-2023 Robi season.

Market sources said the farmers are selling newly harvested groundnuts to the wholesalers at all-time record rates between Tk 5,200 to 5,500 per maund to reap huge profits in this season.

“Farmers are earning an average profit of Tk 80,000 by producing 22 to 25 maunds of groundnut per acre of land excluding farming costs of about Tk 25,000 per acre,” groundnut trader Mokhlesur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar said.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a target of producing 12,240 tonnes of groundnut was fixed from 6,301 hectares of land for the region this time.

“However, farmers finally cultivated groundnut on 5,648 hectares of land, less by only 653 hectares of land against the fixed farming target,” said Rangpur DAE Additional Director Md Aftab Hossain.

After completing the harvest, farmers produced 11,734 tonnes of groundnut, higher by 506 tonnes than the fixed production target in all five Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari districts in the region this time.

During the previous 2021-2022 Robi season, farmers produced 11,988 tonnes of groundnut from 6,190 hectares of land in the region.

During the 2020-2022 Robi season, farmers produced 11,087 tonnes of groundnut by cultivating the crop on 6,190 hectares of land in the region.

Aftab Hossain said, “Farmers are expanding cultivation of groundnut both in the riverine char areas and the mainland every year according to the growing demand of the crop in the country’s boosting foods industries sector.”

Farmers have been reaping more profits getting excellent groundnut production every year following expanded cultivation of its high-yielding varieties evolved by the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) on more land.

Because of lower farming costs and excellent prices with huge demand in the local markets, char and riverside people and common farmers are reaping attractive profits from groundnut cultivation in the region in recent years.

Rangpur DAE Deputy Director Agriculturist Md Obaidur Rahman Mondal said farmers can earn Tk 80,000 by producing 22 to 25 maunds of groundnut per acre of land, spending Tk 25,000 to Tk 27,000 as farming costs per acre.

“Farmers and char people are expanding cultivation of groundnut every year during the last 14 years following a huge boost of the food industries increasing demand for the agro-commodity,” Mondal said.

Farmers Yasin Ali, Nur Mohammad and Abdur Rahman of village Char Biswanath in Kawnia upazila of Rangpur said they cultivated groundnut on 50 decimals to 100 decimals of sandy char land on the Teesta riverbed this time.

“After completing harvest last month, I got 12 maunds of groundnut and sold the crop from 50 decimals of sandy char land at Tk 5,500 per maund to reap a huge profit excluding the farming costs,” Mohammad said.

Farmers Arman Hossain and Saidul Islam of Char Gorokmandal village in Phulbari upazila of Kurigram said he cultivated groundnut on two acres of char land on the Dharla riverbed this time.

Similarly, farmers of Char Arazi Hariswar, Gupidanga, Prannath Char, Char Najirdaho, Char Gonai, Char Haricharan, Dhushmarar Char and other char villages under Kawnia upazila expressed happiness over the bumper yield of groundnut.