A plot of summer tomato at Kamalganj in Sylhet district — FE Photo OUR CORRESPONDENTS
Tomato cultivation is now getting popular in the summertime in different districts for its high demand and good profits.
Our Khulna Correspondent says that Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has developed Bari-8 variety of summer tomato which is being cultivated commercially.
Summer tomato is essentially an off-seasonal vegetable crop which grows on sandy loam land.
However, it is possible to cultivate summer tomato on 'atel' loam soil. But saline soil is not suitable for its cultivation. The cultivation of Bari-8 variety of summer tomato has been started on an experimental basis in the fallow land of the institute.
On June 15, more than 300 tomato seedlings were sown. Beds are prepared by applying manure to the soil before sowing. Plastic canopy is used to prevent excessive heat and protect the seedlings from rain storms to keep the variety consistent.
A summer tomato tree starts bearing fruit within 40/45 days after its planting.
At present, summer tomato plants exceed 3 feet in height and numerous tomatoes are visible on the plant.
This summer tomato has widely been appreciated commercially.
Farmer Harun Bhuiyan said that with the help of officials, summer tomato is being cultivated on the fallow land. After sowing, the trees have already gathered fruits on a large scale.
"I regularly take care of the field, clean the weeds," he also said.
Deputy Assistant Instructor of the Agricultural Training Institute Hafizur Rahman said that Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute has developed Bari-8 tomato variety which is being cultivated through demonstration plots with the full support from Daulatpur Metropolitan Agriculture Office.
Our Correspondent from Sylhet reports, many farmers have got very good yield for years on the basis of successful research by agri-scientist and some students of the Sylhet Agriculture University (SAU).
By now they are engaged in commercial cultivation of the cash crop.
As the Sylhet region is the highest rain experiencing one, it is difficult to cultivate crops like tomato except winter, but even then some farmers responded well and the outcome is good enough due to some special measures and close monitoring, said Professor Dr Md Shahidul Islam of the SAU, also the chief researcher who had led the job.
Farmers in Tilokpur and Ghoramara villages in Kamalganj like others in Moulvibazar Sadar and Srimongal in Moulvibazar and Madhabpur and Nabiganj upazila of Habiganj are doing well in raising grafted saplings for commercial purposes.
The varieties are Bari-8, Bari-10, Bari-11 alongside Mongol and Raja of some private companies.
'We stress selection of proper and high yielding variety seed, grafted plants and adoption of proper farming process for highest yield and safe harvest. The farmers need to use organic fertilisers and dolomite (lime) on soil in addition to setting plantation on comparatively higher lands or raised plots, Professor Shahidul added.
Brojendra Sinha of Tilokpur village sold over a lakh grafted saplings of Bari-8 and Mongol variety to bring 35 decimal of land into the tomato farming.
A sapling is being sold for Tk 10-12. Over a hundred people in Tilokpur and Zamerkona villages are engaged in producing saplings for a good return for years, Brojendra added.
Farmers Gazi Mainuddin and Manik Mia have also earned good return from the same variety of summer tomato. However, floods caused much to farmers in the whole region this year.
The achievement is huge and things had been spreading on a large scale in the region. The contract farmers had been doing it successfully, he added, they are benefited financially while it had been contributing for nutrition.
There is also a good demand for export of the quality crop. The tomato plants are grafted with brinjal plants for better life and yield amid an odd weather behavior.
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