Coriander leaf farming gets popular in Rangpur
Farming of coriander leaf, which adds to flavour and nutrition in dishes, is gaining popularity in the district due to its high profit.
Especially marginal farmers are opting for cultivation of the popular herb, called dhoney pata in Bangla, for its low production cost and for huge demand in the market, said local farmers.
Coriander is a winter crop, but the farmers of Rangpur are now producing it round the year for its cost effectiveness, less harvesting duration and high demand in market, said officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Rangpur.
Coriander leave has been produced on 320 hectares in the district, said DAE officials, adding that it is 50 hectares more compared to last year.
Many farmers cultivate coriander leaves four times in a year.
“I produced the leaf on my 50 decimals of land four times in last one year, spending a total of Tk 14,000. I have collected 4,200 kg of leaves and sold it at Tk 150 per kg,” said Sirajul Islam of Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur.
Every day, traders send two to three truckloads of coriander leaves to different areas including Dhaka and Chittagong from Mithapukur, he said.
Like him, many farmers of Rangpur Sadar, Gangachara, Mithapukur and Kaunia upazilas switched to coriander leaf farming, leaving other crops like potato and mustard.
Saheb Ali of Ganjipur village in the same upazila said he cultivated coriander leaves on 30 decimals for the third time this season.
“Coriander farming requires less production cost as it does not need much fertiliser and pesticide. The farming has created earning opportunity for women. A woman can earn Tk 100 by working only two hours, collecting the leaves from the garden," he said.
SM Ashraf Ali, deputy director of DAE in Rangpur, said coriander leaf farming is cost effective and it brings good profit as the demand is high.
"Farmers can harvest it within 35 days. In most cases, they can get healthy production without applying any fertiliser and pesticide if the land is fertile. In many places farmer produce the leave round the year," he said.
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