Farmers happy with bumper potato harvest

Potato farmers of Bhola expect to make a profit even with the low market price of the staple vegetable due to bumper production this season.

Farmers all over the district are seen harvesting their produce and preparing them for sale.

Every year the potatoes produced in Bhola reach the markets of the surrounding districts after meeting the local demand. Many people in the district are becoming self-sufficient by cultivating potatoes.

According to the farmers, due to the natural calamity caused by cyclone Jawad, they were worried about the yield at the beginning of cultivation. However, as there were no pests or insects in the fields this year they were able to overcome that disaster.

The recent favourable weather has attributed to the plentiful harvest and interested many more to take up potato farming.

Farmer Abdur Rashid of Pangashia village in Paschim Char Umed union said he planted potatoes on 15 acres of land and the yield has been very good.

“I have sold potatoes worth Tk 10,000 from the first harvest. There are still a lot of potatoes in the field, I am preparing for the second harvest,” he added.

Potato farmer Md Babul expects a profit of Tk one lakh. "I have been cultivating potatoes for the last five years and this year I have planted the crop on 40 acres of land. The yield is much better this time than in other years,” he said.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Bhola, Hasan Warisul Kabir said the total target production amount was exceeded this year with the production per hectare being 22 metric tonnes.

He added that potatoes have been planted in 5,410 hectares of land in the district this year and about 1,14,000 metric tonnes of harvest are expected.

“The bumper yield has raised the interest of farmers in potato cultivation thus increasing the possibility of even more plentiful harvests in the future,” he further stated.