Summer tomato brings fortune for Jessore farmers

JESSORE, Sept 26: A good number of farmers in Sharsha Upazila in Jessore are being benefited by cultivating summer tomato.

According to farmers and Department of Agricultural Extension, at least 30 farmers cultivated summer tomato in three hectares of farmlands this year in Sharsha Upazila.

Farmers of Laxmanpur village cultivated BARI tomato-4 in two hectares of land. Seeds are sowed in the farmlands at a suitable time and then saplings are put in the ground. Tomatoes are grown within 60 days. Harvesting is made in 20 to 30 days. Plants are alive till 90 days. Thirty to 35 tonnes of tomatoes are being grown in are hectare of land, said farmers.

Rabiul Islam, a farmer at Laxmanpur village under Sharsha Upazila said that Tk 70,000 to Tk 80,000 is needed for the total cultivation in a bigha of land. Tk 0.15 million to 0.2 million are earned from selling the tomatoes.

Hirok Kumar Sirkar, Agriculture Extension Officer, Sharsha said that farmers have grown summer tomatoes in 3 hectares of farmlands this year. 'Summer tomatoes are expected to be cultivated in 15-20 hectares of land,' he added.

saifnewage@gmail.com