Early variety potato growers all smiles in Rangpur

Potato farmers in five northern districts -- Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Rangpur, and Nilphamari -- in the Rangpur region are seeing a bumper yield of the early variety potatoes due to favourable weather conditions.

They expect a profitable season thanks to good prices offered by local wholesalers driven by a high demand for the produce in the market.

Currently, each kg of potato is selling for Tk 60-65. At the beginning of December, the price was Tk 120-130 per kg when the crop was first harvested.

"After harvesting Aman paddy, I cultivated early variety potato on one bigha of land, spending Tk 20,000. I have sold potatoes worth Tk 63,000 already," said farmer Atul Chandra Roy of Durakuti village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

Local vegetable traders are purchasing the harvested potatoes directly from his field and at a good price too, Atul added.

Farmer Saber Ali of Nabdiganj area near Rangpur city said he has sold his newly-harvested potatoes for Tk 80,000 so far and hopes to earn Tk 50,000 more from selling the rest.

In October, Saber cultivated early variety potatoes on two bigha, which cost him Tk 42,000.

Local farmers said after sowing potato seed farmers can harvest the early variety potatoes within the next 55 to 60 days, while it took at least 90 days for the regular varieties.

The early variety potatoes are available in the market for a very short time.

Usually, farmers sow potatoes in December and harvest their produce in March next year, but early variety potatoes are sown between September and October and harvesting season starts from the last week of November, said farmer Supen Chandra of Shimulbari village in Kurigram's Phulbari upazila.

Mujibur Rahman, a wholesaler trader in Rangpur city, said they bought early variety potatoes directly from the growers and sold those to retailers from different local markets.

"Even vegetable traders from around the country, including the capital, come here to buy the early variety potatoes from them," Mujibur added.

According to the local Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) office, the early variety of potatoes has been cultivated on a total of 3,200 hectares of land in five districts under the Rangpur region.

Farmers usually get 30 to 35 maunds of the early variety potato from each bigha, the cultivation cost for which ranges from Tk 20,000 to Tk 22,000.

Kurigram DAE Deputy Director Abdullah Al Mamun said, "The production volume of early variety potatoes is quite less as it is a short-time crop, but farmers are benefiting due to high prices."