Gopalganj growers get good price selling tomatoes

OUR CORRESPONDENT
GOPALGANJ Feb 07: Tomato farmers of Gopalganj Sadar Upazila got a good price for their produce throughout winter and DAE estimates that this year growers of Gopalganj's five upazilas will earn over two billion taka selling the vegetable.
A total of 298 hectares have been brought under tomato cultivation in the upazila since the start of this winter with a production target of 14,304 tonnes, sources from the Upazila Agriculture Office in Gopalganj Sadar said.
Gopalganj Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Mafroza Akhter said most of the cultivated tomatoes are 'Beautiful 2' and 'Wonderful 2' hybrid varities. She also said that about 2,400 farmers -- both males and females -- have been involved in the farming. According to her, the growers have been selling tomatoes at a wholesale rate of Tk 2,200-2,400 per maund or Tk 55-60 per kg.
She further said that the cost of tomato cultivation on 52 decimals, or "one local bigha" is about Tk 120,000 -140,000 per year and farmers get Tk 490,000-520,000 from the sale of their produce.
If the tomato production target in the upazila is achieved this year, growers are set to get over Tk 786 million from sales.
Pradeep Halder, sub-assistant agriculture officer (SAAO), Roghunathpur Union, Sadar Upazila, said, a total of 22 hectares have been brought under tomato cultivation in the union, most of which are 'Wonderful 2' and 'Beautiful 2' varities.
About 200 farmers are involved the farming, he also said, adding that the production target of the union is at 1,100 tonnes, which have a market price of Tk 60.05 million. He further said that farmers have been earning "a huge amount of money" from tomato cultivation in the union every year.
Nipal Biswas (58) of Digharkul village of the union said, he cultivated 'Wonderful 2' tomatoes on 30 decimals this winter and the growth condition has been satisfactory. He said that if the weather remains suitable for farming he would get 140 maunds of tomatoes from his field this year, which has a market price of Tk 308,000.
Kanika Roy (46), a female grower of Sadar Upazila's Raghunathpur, said she cultivated 'Beautiful 2' tomatoes on 42 decimals this winter and has been selling six to seven maunds every day at a rate of Tk 2,250 per maund, which would be continued for about 14 days more.
Some farmers of Gopalganj Sadar said tomato cultivation has proved to be a boom in income for the farmers in this region and their families became self reliant from its sale every winter.
Dr. Md. Mamunur Rahman, deputy director (DD), Agriculture, Gopalganj, told the FE that soil and weather condition is favourable for farming of tomato and a total of 962 hectares have been brought under tomato cultivation under five upazilas in the district. The DAE targeted production of 43,290 tonnes of tomatoes, which has a market price of a little over Tk 2.38 billion and about 7,700 farmers are involved this farming. Farmers have accepted tomatoes believing it to be a good cash crop.
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