Manikganj potato growers in happy mood

Bumper yield and fair prices have brought smile to potato growers in Manikganj.

According to Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in the district, 1, 706 hectares of land have been brought under potato cultivation this year.

But the farmers have cultivated the vegetable on 1, 883 hectares of land for good profit, which is more than 105 hectares compared to last year, said District Training Officer and in-charge of the Deputy Director of DAE Md Anayet Ullah.

Potato has been cultivated on 594 hectares of land in Singair upazila, 525 hectares in Sadar upazila, 362 hectares in Ghior upazila and 234 hectares in Saturia upazila of the district. Farmers of other three upazilas also cultivated some potatoes.

Packed potato sacks beside a road. The photo was taken on Monday. Photo: Star

During a visit to Baliakhora in Ghior upazila on Monday, this correspondent found that the farmers were harvesting potato from their land. Some were seen packing it in sacks. Some loaded a pickup van of wholesalers with the vegetable beside the road.

Abdul Karim of the village said he has cultivated potato on 55 bighas of land this season. He harvested 320 maunds of potato from five bighas of land till Monday. It has been sold for Tk 15 per kg.

He will harvest potatoes from rest 50 bighas of land next month and then keep it in a specialised cold storage of Dhaka’s Dhamrai upazila, said Karim, adding that he took the decision to harvest it later, hoping to earn more profits.

Last year, he earned a profit of Tk 46 lakh from the sale of 9000 maunds of potato on 70 bighas of land, said Karim.

Abdus Samad of Char Bailajuri village in the upazila said he has cultivated potato on five bighas of land this year. The production is good this time.

They will increase the scale of potato farming in near future as it earns good profit, he said.

Wholesaler Mir Mulayem Hossain of Kusta village in Ghior upazila said he buys potato directly from fields in different areas of the upazila and then takes it to different markets in Dhaka for sale.

He purchased 225 maunds of potato till Monday, said Mulayem Hossain, adding that the farmers have begun to harvest their crop in advance and it will continue till the end of March.

Talking to farmers of other areas in the upazila, it is found that the production cost of potato is Tk 8 to Tk 9 a kilogram, whereas the growers are selling it at Tk 20 per kg.

The DAE official said this year, the potato production is good because of the favorable weather condition.