Lentil farming on rise in 6 south-western districts

Farmers in six south-western districts have increased cultivation of lentil this year due to unexpectedly good price and because they incurred massive losses in paddy farming.   

Besides better prices, the cost of cultivating lentils is less than for other crops. Pest attacks have decreased and lentil plants are more immune to diseases, said farmers and officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE). 

In the current season, the target was to grow lentils on 7,0771 hectares in the six SW districts of Jessore, Jhenidah, Magura, Kushtia, Chuadanga and Meherpur, while the achievement was 10,0475 hectares.

The production target in the six districts is expected to be 92,002 tonnes, and the production target for each hectare is 1.30 tonnes this year.

Kuddus Ali, a lentil grower of Raigram village in Jheidah's Kaliganj upazila, said he has cultivated 4 bighas of lentils this year at a cost of Tk 12,000. He expects that he will reap around 40 maunds, which he will sell at Tk 2,800 per maund, earning Tk 1,12,000.

Farmer Arif Hossain of Magura said he has cultivated 2 bighas this year at a cost of Tk 7,000. He expects to produce around 18 maunds of lentils, which he will sell at Tk 2,700 per maund, earning Tk 48,600.

Shafiur Rahman of Chuadanga district said they will not cultivate paddy next year. He will grow paddy on one bigha only in the coming year, for his own consumption. 

Nitya Ranjan Biswas, additional director of DAE in Jessore region, said farmers in the SW districts earned good profit in the last few years by cultivating lentils. The better prices encouraged the farmers to expand lentil farming in the region.