Teesta char farmers see hope in spices

Cultivation of turmeric, ginger and other spices, alongside other primary crops, are gaining popularity in the Teesta river chars of Sundarganj upazila.

Farmers said they have been growing spices alongside conventional crops as market prices of spices are higher than that of the conventional ones.

Among the spices, cultivation of turmeric and ginger has been more profitable as their prices continued to rise considerably since onion prices hit a record high across the country last year, they also said.

In order to take advantage of the higher prices, farmers in Ramjibon, Bamondanga, Sarbanando and Tarapur unions are growing turmeric and ginger on more than twice as much land that they used in the previous years.  

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, 35 to 40 maunds of turmeric and 25 to 30 maunds of ginger can be harvested from one bigha of land.

While visiting Bhabanipur village in Ramjibon union, farmer Ashraf Ali said he had been growing turmeric on two bighas of land for the last five years and made Tk 1.40 lakh each year from the sale of unripe turmeric. But this year, encouraged by the higher prices, he cultivated turmeric on three bighas of land.    

“This season, price of unripe turmeric reached Tk 80 per kilogram at retail markets. So, I’m hoping to make nearly Tk 2.50 lakh from its sale,” he added.         

Rafiqul Mia, a vegetable vendor at Ramjibon market, said  spices like turmeric and ginger used to be cultivated on unused land around dwellings of framers. But now that prices of those have increased significantly at the markets, the spices are being grown on croplands too.

Sundarganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Syed Reza-e-Mahmud said in comparison with years before, cultivation of turmeric and ginger doubled in the upazila this year.

Turmeric has been cultivated on 60 hectares of land and ginger on 50 hectares this season, he also said.