Record potato production in N-region likely

RANGPUR, Jan 20 (BSS): A record quantity of potato production is likely in the northern Bangladesh as the farmers have exceeded its fixed cultivation target by 9.74 per cent and the crop is growing excellent this season, official sources said.

Meanwhile, the farmers have expressed satisfaction over the prevailing market price of their newly harvested potato getting per kg price between Taka 16 and 23 at the field levels depending on different varieties now.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources, a target of producing 60.65 lakh tonnes of potato has been fixed from 3.08 lakh hectares of land in northern Bangladesh during this current 2013-2014 Rabi season.

"Of them, farmers of the northern region are to produce 70.11 percent of the fixed national target of producing 86.50 lakh tonnes potato from 4.40 lakh hectares this season," Horticulture specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam told BSS.

However, the enthusiastic farmers of the northern region have finally brought over 3.38 lakh hectares land under potato cultivation, which is more than 30,000 hectares or 9.74 per cent than the fixed production target, he added.

Meanwhile, the farmers have completed harvest of the early variety potatoes they had cultivated after harvesting short duration variety Aman rice like BRRI dhan33, BRRI dhan33, BRRI dhan48, BINA dhan7 etc in the region.

Farmers Abu Noor and Yunus Ali of village Singdoi said he had cultivated early variety potato on one acre land after harvesting the short duration Aman paddies and already harvested and sold those to earn huge profits this time.

Farmers Abul Hossain of village Kochukata, Ashraful Alam of Gangachara and Kalim Uddin of Bogulagari village said they have also completed harvest and earned excellent profits after cultivating potato on their lands after harvesting short duration Aman crop.