GOPALGANJ, Jan 28: Farmers of three upazilas of the district are benefiting from the cultivation of tomato as the crop is being sold at lucrative price in the local markets here.
Sources said, the newly harvested tomato is selling at the rate of Tk 25 to Tk 30 per kilogram (kg) in the local markets.
According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Gopalganj officials, about 600 hectares of land have been brought under tomato cultivation in the district this season where production target is 8,400 tonnes.
Of them 210 hectares are in Kotalipara Upazila, 80 hectares in Tungipara upazila and about 250 hectares in Gopalganj Sadar Upazila. About 10,000 farmers are involved.
Harvesting of the crop (tomato) started in full swing and growers are getting fair price.
Prasanta Biswas (65) of village Polsair under Hiron union of Kotalipara upazila told The FE that he cultivated "Udayan Plus" tomato on one acre of land (100 decimal) spending Tk 0.25 million. He hopes to get about 557 maunds of tomato, the price of which would be about Tk 0.55 million.
Partha Protim Baidya, Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer (SAAO), Polsair block of Hiron union of Kotalipara upazila told The FE that farmers of Hiron, Kalabari, Ramsil, Radhaganj and Sadullapur unions got good profit from tomato cultivation because soil and weather condition in this area is more fertile.
Binod Biswas (50), a farmer of village Joarai under Tungipara upazila in Gopalganj district said, he is cultivating tomato on 52 decimal of land and the condition of its growth is satisfactory. He said he had sold about 290 maunds of tomato for Tk 2,90,000.
Md. Mizanur Rahaman, Upazila Agriculture Officer (UAO), Gopalganj Sadar told The FE that about 250 hectares of land have been brought under tomato cultivation.
The farmers prefer to cultivate the crop in Rabi season in this region, because they earn about Tk 200 million from its produce every year and about 4,000 farmers involved in this farming under this upazila this year, UAO added.
Dilip Biswas (45) of village Naldanga under Sadar Upazila in the district said, he cultivated tomato on two bighas of land. Its harvesting is going on and he hopes to earn Tk 5,75,000.
Samir Kumar Gwashami, Deputy Director (DD), Agriculture, Gopalganj told The FE that farmers in this region are more benefited from tomato farming.
Investment required is small but the return is big, in a short duration. Soil and weather condition is favourable for tomato farming in this region, he said.
