RANGPUR, April 26, 2022 (BSS) - Farmers have produced 37,151 tonnes of sweet
potato in all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region during the
2021-2022 Rabi season.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and market
sources said farmers are happy getting excellent market prices of sweet
potato between Taka 700 and Taka 800 per mound (40 kilograms) depending on
varieties and qualities.

 The DAE had fixed a target of producing 39,958 tonnes of sweet potato from
1,835 hectares of land for Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and
Nilphamari districts in the region.

However, farmers cultivated the crop on 1,777 hectares land less by 58
hectares of land against the fixed farming target due to crop diversification
and cultivation of winter vegetables, maize and potato on more land area.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman
Mandal said many landless char people are farming sweet potato on sandy-
barren char lands side by side with farmers in the mainland.

"The sandy-loamy and sandy lands are suitable for sweet potato farming which
requires no fertilisers and irrigation water," he said.

Talking to BSS, landless Mahbub Alam, Kochhim Uddin and Anwar Hossain of
village Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said they cultivated
sweet potato on sandy char lands and got bumper production with lucrative
prices.

Similarly, Golzar Hossain and Aminul Islam of village Dhushmara Char in
Kawnia upazila here said they cultivated sweet potato cultivated on sandy
char lands and got a bumper output with better prices this season.

Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh
Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said production of sweet potato could be
increased further by imparting training and providing latest technologies to
char people.

"Sweet potato contains vitamin A and C and mineral elements, which are absent
in rice. It is enriched with protein, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, carotene
and vitamin B1 and B2, which are essential for the human body," Rashid added.

Agriculturist Dr M A Mazid, who got Independence Award 2018 in food security
category, said an adult person can meet the required daily demand of 13 gram
vitamin-A by consuming a single moderate sized sweet potato.

Many people living in riverine char areas of Rangpur agriculture region are
farming sweet potato and widely consuming the produce as alternative
foodstuff like in many other countries.

Many tasty foods like 'halua', 'payesh', bread, 'pauruti', biscuit, pastry
and cake could be produced through processing sweet potato with other
ingredients for its devitrified consumption.

"If people change food habits and consume sweet potatoes having the same
carbohydrate, nutrients and vitamins as rice, we can reduce pressure on rice
as the changing climate continues affecting production of cereal crops," he
added.