RAJSHAHI, Jan 21 (BSS): Farmers and others concerned are hopeful about a good potato yield in the region in the current season as overall climatic condition remains favorable for the farming since its initial stage.
With the hope of making profit like the previous season, the farmers in the have cultivated potato on more lands than the target fixed by the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) everywhere in eight districts under the division.
Golam Rasul, a farmer of Darusha village under Paba Upazila, said both acreage and yield were boosted up in the wake of a favorable climatic condition and availability of standard seed in the region.
This season, he along with his sons cultivated potato on around 150 bighas of land. He said, "We are very much optimistic about our outcomes as the weather was absolutely supportive".
Rasul further said there is a need of enhancing the number of cold storages for betterment of the potato growers. Potato farming has now been expanded to the dried lands in the vast Barind tract with massive promotion of commercial farming as a result of irrigation facilities promoted by the Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities (BMDA).
Mozur-E-Mawla, upazila agriculture officer, said the farmers are expecting a better yield as there was no major natural calamity that can damage its outputs.
However, the cold wave that sweeping the region for the last couple of days has made the potato growers apprehensive about their farming.
Most of the growers' harvested better yields of potato in last three to four years and they also obtained expected sale proceeds in the harvesting stage.
"I had sold out an 85 kgs potato bag at Tk 800 to Tk 850 in previous season, said Ziarul Haque, a farmer of Baya village.
Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of DAE, said the officials, experts and other organisations concerned have been providing necessary suggestions to the farmers to face the cold situation so that the growing potato fields are not affected by late blight disease.
Currently, early variety potato has appeared in the local markets in plenty with more or less better prices benefiting the growers in the region, markets sources said.
Many of the farmers said potato farming could become more profitable if adequate preservation facilities were ensured and potato-based agro-industries are set up besides enhancing exports.
Meanwhile, in Rangpur, agriculture experts at a farmers' field-day on Saturday afternoon said the farmers could reap more profits through expanded cultivation of Late Blight Resistant (LBR) potato variety.
The regional agriculture research centre of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) organised the event on its Burirhat office premises here to demonstrate cultivation of LBR variety 'Carolus' and 'Alouette' potatoes.
The main objective of arranging the programme was to disseminate results achieved from three-year long research activities aimed at innovating and selecting late blight disease resistant potatoes and popularising those among farmers for cultivation.
The field day programme was followed by a discussion on the under- research LBR variety potatoes.
Chief Scientific Officer of Burirhat Agriculture Research Centre Md Rais Uddin Chowdhury presided over the event participated by farmers, officials, researchers, scientists and experts of different agriculture related organisations.
Former Executive Chairman of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Council Agriculturist Dr Md Jalal Uddin attended the occasion to observe the growing LBR variety 'Carolus' and 'Alouette' potatoes as the chief guest.
Potato researcher and Principal Scientific Officer at Burirhat Regional Agriculture Research Centre Dr Ashish Kumar Saha and Regional Farm Broadcasting Officer of Agriculture Information Service Abu Sayem addressed as special guests.
Dr Saha said late blight disease reduces potato production by 30 percent annually as the main barrier to potato cultivation and the farmers are being compelled to indiscriminate use of the costly pesticides and insecticides for producing the crop.
"The produced potatoes are becoming poisonous to cause harms to human health and research is being conducted continuously to innovate more effective LBR variety potatoes those will require no pesticides and increase potato production," he said.
He said the farmers are producing 6 tonnes of potato per hectare cultivating traditional varieties and up to 12 tonnes using quality seed with better managements while the LBR varieties of 'Carolus' and 'Alouette' produce 35 tonnes potato per hectare.
"If the 'Carolus' and 'Alouette' LBR varieties of potatoes are released for expanded cultivation, the nation will not need to import pesticides worth Taka 500-crore annually side by side with saving huge foreign exchange as well as environment," Ashish said.
The chief guest stressed releasing 'Carolus' and 'Alouette' LBR varieties of potatoes having better shape, size, colour and taste to increase potato production at reduced costs.
