Early variety potato boon to farmers

Early variety of potatoes has started to appear in local markets and proved a boon to Lalmonirhat farmers as they are selling their produces at higher prices.

Now one kilogram of newly harvested potato is selling for Tk 45 to 50 in local markets.

Farmer said it was sold for Tk 60 to 70 per kilogram when it first appeared in the local markets two weeks ago.

Growers and traders said harvest of the early variety potato has started in different upazilas of the district about two weeks ago.

Farmers in the region said sowing of potato seeds will continue till the first week of February next year.

According to Lalmonirhat Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) 6,500 hectares of land were brought under potato cultivation in five upazilas this year.

Of the land, growers have cultivated early variety of potato on 250 hectares of land.

DAE officials said farmers have already started harvesting their produce as they cultivated the early variety potato following the harvest of short duration aman paddy.

 "I have earned Tk 85 thousand by selling early variety potatoes on my two bighas of land,” said farmer Shafiqul Islam of Bhadai village in Aditmari upazila.

Deputy Director Bidubhushan Roy of Lalmonirhat DAE said the agriculture departments, seed dealers and a few non-governmental organisations (NGOs) provided quality potato seeds and fertilisers to the farmers to make potato farming successful.