RAJSHAHI, April 28, 2018 (BSS)- Growers are dreaming of good yield of groundnut as they are enjoying suitable weather since sowing stage of the cash crop here in this current season.
Royez Uddin and Ahammed Ali, two farmers of Char Mazar Diar under Paba Upazila, have jointly brought five bigha of land under groundnut farming this season.
Suitable weather and couple of rains help healthy growing of plants which are now fruit setting stage. The farmers are expecting cherished yield if the crop does not face any natural disaster till harvesting.
Royez Uddin said sandy lands are suitable for groundnut farming. For this reason, more cultivation of the crop was taken place in Padma riverbeds in Rajshahi.
The government has extended training, fertilizer and seed to the farmers in order to expand China groundnut in the region.
Monjur-E-Maula, Upazila Agriculture Officer, said the groundnut is generally cultivated on the sandy land. Experimentally some local farmers started to cultivate groundnut on their barren land which remain uncultivated all the year in this char areas for last few years.
On their success a number of farmers now are cultivating groundnut as cash crop in the vast char areas. The char farmers are getting reasonable price of the crop.
He said around 64 bigha of lands was brought under the crop cultivation in Char Mazar Diar and Char Khidirpur areas this season. Till now, the farming remains in satisfactory condition.
Farming one bigha of land require cost of Taka five thousand and that can give yield eight to ten tons. Farmers become benefited if they can sell their harvested crop at Tk 1,500 per mound, said Agriculturist Maula.
DAE, Dev Dulal Dhali said farmers of the areas are now showing interest to cultivate BARI groundnuts on more lands.
He said a minimum financial involvement is needed for BARI groundnut cultivation. The farmers cultivated groundnut on around 1,000 bigha of land here this season.
DAE provided seed and fertilizer to the growers with necessary training.
Dr Sakhawat Hossain, Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), said the prospect of BARI groundnut cultivation is bright in different char areas.
He said sandy lands near the river banks and char areas are suitable for groundnut cultivation. They are encouraging farmers to bring more land under cultivation of BARI groundnuts, an oil-enriched seed variety, he added.