Rangpur farmers making good profit from cultivating Napier grass

RANGPUR, Nov 12: Cultivation of Napier grass, an animal feed, is gaining popularity in different upazilas in Rangpur district as the farmers are getting financially benefited through its cultivation.  

A good number of growers have engaged in commercial cultivation of the crop in recent years and the number is increasing day by day.  The farmers of the region have already begun harvesting of Napier grass and are satisfied with the yield they have achieved so far, sources said.

Jadu Miah of Nesbetganj area under Rangpur Sadar upazila is one of the farmers who has changed his fate cultivating Napier grass. He told the FE that once he used to grow other crops in his land but now he is fully engaged in Napier grass cultivation. For the last few years he has been making significant profit from it. Earlier he faced acute crisis of fodder but now he has sufficient fodder.  

"At present I earn Tk 80,000 to Tk 1,00,000 a year from each bigha of land, at a production cost of Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000", he said.  "There is no need to use insecticides in the land of grass' Napier grass is a lucrative crop as it can be harvested eight to nine times per year and sold as livestock feed", he added.   

Jahedul Islam, another farmer of Khansama village in Kaunia upazila said that he used to cultivate paddy but since he could not make good profit, he began cultivating the grass making handsome profit. He earned Tk 70,000 last year by cultivating Napier grass on his 40 decimals of land. This year he is expecting a good profit as well.  

A number of Napier grass growers of different upazilas including Mithapukur, Gangachara, Kawnia told this correspondent that the market price and demand for Napier grass is very good. Its cultivation is very simple and easy as it needs no use of chemical fertilisers and needs very little care. Its cultivation has helped them overcome fodder crisis, they further said.

Upazila livestock office is providing necessary supports to the farmers by supplying seeds and other inputs and the farmers are advised about the cultivation of it, they added.

According to District Livestock Office sources its cultivation ranges in the period between February and April and after 5/6 months it can be harvested. A farmer can earn Tk 80,000-1, 10,000 from a bigha of land by harvesting the grass eight to nine times in a year while its production cost is Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000 only. There is no need to use pesticides in the land of the grass. Only cow dung and urea fertilisers are used in the land to get expected yield, sources added.  

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