Sugarcane cultivation in Manikganj exceeds target

MANIKGANJ, Sept 11 (BSS): Sugarcane cultivation in Manikganj district has exceeded the target set for the current season, according to sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
DAE officials said the target was set to bring 510 hectares of land under sugarcane cultivation with an estimated production target of 25,245 tonnes across all seven upazilas of the district. However, farmers have cultivated sugarcane on 524 hectares of land, surpassing the target.
The highest amount of sugarcane has been cultivated in Singair upazila, where the soil is particularly favourable for sugarcane farming, said Dr Robiah Noor Ahmed, Deputy Director of the DAE, Manikganj. She added more than 80 per cent of the total sugarcane in the district is grown in Singair upazila.
Farmers in Singair stated sugarcane cultivation is highly profitable. In addition to sugarcane, they also grow other seasonal crops like radish, chickpeas, vegetables, and onions between the rows of sugarcane, enabling double cropping on the same land during the same season.
Although there is no sugar mill in Manikganj, most of the harvested sugarcane is transported to different parts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, for processing and sale.