BOGURA, Jan 08: With lucrative market price as well as bumper production, good number of potato farmers of Bogura district is expecting to be self-reliant this season.
The farmers generally spend approximately Tk 10,000 to 12,000 to grow potato on one bigha of land and they get over eighty maunds of fresh yield from the same land.
Each maund of potato is now being sold at Tk 800 to 900 in the retail market while Tk 700 to 800 in the wholesale market.
A good number of extreme poor farmers of Dupchanchia, Sonatola, Sherpur, Sonatola, Dhunot, Shibganj, Nandigram, Gabtoly, Sahajahanpur, Kahaloo and Sadar upazilas under the district had cultivated potato in a large scale after harvesting T-Aman rice.
The farmers are providing all sort of effort to the farms defying adverse weather condition as they are expecting to harvest next month.
According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office advice we have fixed a target to bring some 22,400 hectares of land under potato cultivation this season but the farmers have taken over 34,450 hectares of land.
Getting repeated bumper production and fair market price in previous years, potato cultivation has exceeded its target this season in Bogura district, said Sub-Assistance Agriculture Officer Faridur Rahman.
Farmer Monowar Hossain under Dupchanchia upazila said, he cultivated potato on 55 decimal of land spending Tk 30,000 and hopes to achieve over 200 maunds of potato. He is expecting to make over Tk 80,000 profit after paying production cost, he added.
In a recent visit at Alihat village nearby Sibganj area this correspondent found the farmers are passing busy time to take care of the crop filed defying rough weather. The female members of the area are also involved to make the farming a success.
DAE official said the extreme poor peasants of the district mostly depend on Rabi and Kharif crops, especially potato cultivation. We provide all sort of logistic support among the eager farmers, he added.
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