BT Brinjal-3 cultivation gaining popularity

GOPALGANJ, Apr 08: Subal Kirtania of Suchidanga village under Sadar upazila have successfully grown profitable BT Brinjal-3 on his land this year.

The farmer said he started farming the vegetable four months ago on 50 decimals of land with the support by the Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), Gopalganj.

Two months after the plantation Subal started harvesting the produce.

He has already made a profit of Tk 10,000 from the sale of 16 maunds of brinjal and expects to earn Tk 50,000 more this season if the weather remains favourable.

The brinjal cultivator said per kg brinjal is being sold at Tk 16 to Tk 18 in the local market. Sabal said his production cost was Tk 12,000.

BT brinjal has a good demand across the country. Local traders regularly visit his field to purchase the quality produce directly, he added.

Subal said he did not take any loan as the production cost was low. He did not even use any chemical fertilisers on his brinjal field. He only used organic fertiliser to grow the vegetable.

Ranjit Biswas, sub-assistant agriculture officer of DAE, Kutibari Block, said BT brinjal farming is profitable. Growers should expand its cultivation.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), a total of 50 hectares of land have been brought under BT Brinjal-3 cultivation in the district, while 20 hectares in Sadar upazila.

Samir Kumar Goshwami, deputy director (Agriculture), Goaplganj, said a farmer can easily be self-reliant by growing the brinjal variety. It is short duration as the cultivator can get the produce only 60 days after the plantation.

alimuzzaman81@gmail.com