Groundnut cultivation gaining popularity in Manikganj char areas

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MANIKGANJ, April 27, 2019 (BSS) – The char farmers of Daulatpur, Shibalaya
and Harirampur Upazilas of the district are happy for getting bumper output
of groundnut as harvesting of the crop has started on the barren char lands
during the current Kharip-1 season.

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials here said the groundnut
is generally cultivated on the sandy land.

Experimentally, some local farmers started to cultivate groundnut on their
barren land which would remain fallow all over the year in the char areas for
the last few years, they said, adding that seeing their success, a number of
farmers now are cultivating groundnut in the vast char areas of the Jamuna
and the Padma rivers.

The char farmers are getting fair prices of the crop between Tk. 2000 and
2400 per mound as per its quality while it has high demand in the local
markets.

DAE office sources said a total of 2,412 hectares of land has been
cultivated groundnut during the Kharip-1 season in the district, exceeding
its fixed target of 2003 hectares of land.

Rifazuddin, one groundnut cultivator of char kalikapur of Baghutia union of
Daulatpur upazila, said he had cultivated groundnut on two bighas of land
this season and was getting expected production and prices.

Mizanur Rahman Tota, Union Parishad member of Baghutia, said groundnut
cultivation is gaining popularity in the char areas as it grows in the sandy
barren land and it needs no irrigation.

Now groundnut became one of the cash crops for the char people, he said,
adding groundnut is cultivated twice in the year in the winter and summer
seasons.

Habibur Rahman Chowdhury, Deputy Director of DAE, said the sandy land of
char area is suitable for groundnut cultivation and its cultivation is
gaining popularty in the three Upazilas of Daulatpur, Shibalaya and
Harirampur day by day.