Sylhet cultivator makes fortune by selling grafted tomato seedlings

SYLHET, Nov 09: A farmer made his fortune by adopting the Grafting method of producing tomato seedlings on commercial basis at Jalalpur village in Komolganj upazila of Moulvibazar district.
Seeing a huge demand in the district and around, the man began a small nursery on 05 bighas of land for producing tomato seedlings commercially years ago. In line with advice and suggestions from agricultural experts, he used the root plant (mother plant) of brinjal for grafting young plants of HYV tomato on the upper part.
The method gave him huge success since such plants are strong enough to face any trouble and for better yield for a minimum three months. He produces about 20 kg of tomato from a plant every season against a normal yield of 5 to 10 kgs.
Such plants are disease tolerant too, he said adding, now I can't meet the rising demand of the grafted plants as most of the traders place advance orders.
Supply goes to neighbouring districts too, he added. Many farmers start planting in bangle months of Ashar-Srabon to yield early for better market price. Normally the price goes up to taka 100 per kg in early winter.
Already more than 50 young farmers started farming of tomatoes by using such grafted plants in Komolganj upazila alone. He himself cultivated tomatoes on 21 bighas of land in the nearby Doloi Tea garden area.
MA Karim produced tomato plants worth taka 20 lakh this season, said an official at the upazila DAE office.
In High yielding varieties like BARI-8 and Mangal Raja etc, one has to transplant 21-day plants for good yield of tomato.
On early retirement from a government job years ago, the man ventured the grafted tomato plant production. He was awarded a national agriculture award for the success years ago. Upazila Agriculture Office Ashraful Islam said by now at least 50 farmers are self- sufficient through producing grafted plants of tomato in the area. We always assist MA Karim and the others through technical support.

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