RANGPUR, April 08, 2019 (BSS) – Farmers are happy after getting an all-
time record production of over 23.20-lakh tonnes of potato and fair price
this season and its trade is getting momentum now in Rangpur agriculture
zone.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said farmers
got quality seed, fertilisers and all assistance timely from officials of DAE
and other agriculture related departments and organisations to achieve super
bumper potato production.
The DAE had fixed a target of producing 19.24-lakh tonnes of potato from
91,620 hectares of land for all five districts during this current 2018-2018
Rabi seasons in the region.
“However, farmers had finally brought 93,024 hectares of land under
potato cultivation exceeding the fixed cultivation target by 1,404 hectares
this season,” Horticulture specialist of DAE at its regional office Khondker
Md Mesbahul Islam said today.
Farmers have finally produced 23.20-lakh tonnes of potato with an
average yield rate of 24.94 tonnes per hectare and higher by 3.96-lakh tonnes
or 20.58 percent than the fixed production target of 19.24-lakh tonnes this
season.
Talking to BSS, a number of farmers expressed happiness over the super
bumper potato production and prevailing market price of the commodity
everywhere in the region now.
Farmer Moazzem Hossain of village Darshona and Ariful Haque of village
Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar today said they cultivated different varieties of
potato on their two and four acres of land respectively and got excellent
production this season.
Similarly, farmers Barun Kumar, Liyakat Ali, Mofizar Rahman, Abdul
Kuddus and Hafizur Rahman of different villages in Badarganj and Mithapukur
upazilas here said they had already completed harvest of cultivated potato
and got bumper output.
President of Rangpur District Potato Growers’ Association Khwaja Ahmed
said the farmer has got excellent production of potato this year and the
prevailing market price is still reaming fair.
“The farmers are selling each sac containing 84 kilogram of ‘Diamond’,
‘Cardinal’, ‘Raja’ and ‘Astarisk’ varieties of potato is being sold at rates
between Taka 800 and Taka 850 in the local markets,” Khwaja said.
However, farmers had to sell potato of these varsities at rates between
Taka 640 and 660 per every 84-kg sac in region last year, he added.
Potato traders Hafizur Rahman and Abul Hossain at Rangpur City Market
told BSS that the retailers are selling potato at rates between Taka 12 and
25 per kg depending on varieties and qualities of the commodity.
Talking to BSS, President of Rangpur Chamber Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury
Titu said though a little quantity of potato is being exported abroad from
Rangpur region now, the nation might earn huge foreign exchange by enhancing
potato export in future.
“There is a huge prospect to enhance exporting huge quantity of
‘Granula’ variety potato from Rangpur region to Malaysia, Singapore, Saudi
Arabia and other Middle Eastern, African, European and far eastern
countries,” he said.
Senior Vice-president of Rangpur Chamber Mostoba Hossain Ripan said
local exporters are now exporting a little quality of locally produced potato
to Malaysia, Singapore and some other countries from Rangpur region.
“We should search for newer markets to enhance potato export to make its
farming more profitable,” Ripan said suggesting for establishing potato-based
agro-industries and preservation facilities in the region to ensure fair
price of potato for farmers.