CHANDPUR, Apr 04: Potato growers in the district are upbeat with an exquisitely massive yield of the crop this season and therewith a fair price as well.
Despite an unwholesome weather condition, including untimely rainfalls, potato fields in the district had a robust growth, eventually giving a plentiful harvest.
To their exuberance and utter joy, the growers have brought their produce home in the entire district.
Now the tuber crop sells at Tk40.00 per kg in the open market while the farmers get Tk20.00 at the field level.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) office,
Chandpur Sadar, Matlab Dakhshin, Matlab Uttar, Kochua and Hajiganj upazilas have retained the fame as the major potato producing areas of the district for many years.
Deputy Director of the DAE, Chandpur Dr Shafayet Ahammad Siddiqui said potato has been cultivated on 7,110 hectares of land in the district against the official target of 7,500 hectares.
Agriculturist Mobarak Hossain told the FE, "Over 85 per cent potatoes have been harvested so far. The rest of the potatoes will be brought home within one month."
Absence of a big natural calamity, no long-time cold wave nor prolonged dense fog; also no pest attack nor any major blast attack helped the farmers have the bumper yield of potato in the entire district.
Meanwhile, it was observed that despite abundant supply, potato is still selling for Tk40 per kg in the haats and bazars of the town and rural areas.
This year, with keen interest, the farmers cultivated potato in the district with the hope of getting a higher yield and good price.
Last year they got no good price and eventually no expected profit from potato.
As the potato price hit as high as Tk55-65.00 per kg a few months ago, with a high hope and enthusiasm, farmers started cultivation of the tuber crop expecting both good yield and fair price.
Talking to this correspondent, DAE Deputy Director Dr Shafayet Ahamad Siddiqui said, "On each hectare of land, 24 tonnes of potato has been produced on an average. It is a bumper yield. So the farmers are happy with profit."
He added, "Due to proper monitoring and advice or instructions from the field-level agri officials, the potato yield per hectare has been quite satisfactory."
On the other hand, marginal potato farmers like Hanif Patwary, Johurul, Babul, Suman, Monir during visit to their fields at Lodergaon, Kumardughi and Char Krishnapur villages in Sadar upazila told the FE correspondent that they were happy as their potato price was higher this year than the last year's .
Driven by acute poverty and constant pressure for repayment of NGO loans, most marginal farmers are selling their potatoes to middlemen in their fields at a cheap price of Tk20/22 per kg while last year they sold potato at Tk10/12 per kg in the fields.
It is learnt, 100 sacks (each containing 50/52/55 kgs) of potato are sold at Tk1.10 lakh or Tk1.20 lakh, said farmers and day labourers Abdus Salam and Kabir Hossain and their fellow workers when they were collecting potatoes from the fields on Wednesday afternoon after a heavy rainfall at Raldiya village in Chandpur Sadar.
According to the DAE office in Chandpur, there are 12 cold storages in Chandpur Sadar, Matlab Dakhshin, Hajiganj and Kochua upazilas.
These cold storages can accommodate around 70,000 tonnes of potato. Many farmers also preserve potatoes at home to sell them later.
It was observed that some cold storages in Chandpur Sadar have empty space.
Manager of Apollo Cold Storage SK Md Yasin and Manager of Monohorkhadi Cold Storage in Chandpur BSCIC Industrial Estate Mangal Khan told the FE their cold storages have not yet been filled with potato; where there are still big spaces vacant.
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