The Bumper Yield of Potatoes In Thakurgaon, Bangladesh Due To The Favorable Weather
–Adnan Mahfuz Tazvir (class VIII – English version,
Motijheel Ideal school and college, Dhaka.)
Farmers of the Thakurgaon District have more benefited from the advance potatoes cultivation. It has brought a smile on their faces. This isn’t often seen when faded pictures of farmers are seen in the Newspapers due to their having to sell paddy at low prices.
They cultivated Granola, Diamant, Asterix, Cardinal and various varieties of potatoes in advance before its season started. The advanced cultivated potatoes had bumper yield because this year the rainy season ended earlier than before.
Farmers complained that the Department of Agriculture did not provide any help regarding this. On the other hand, the Department of Agriculture said that they had given necessary advice and pragmatic support to the farmers.
The seasonal potatoes are in the field now at the moment and will take at least one month for harvesting. From this, the seed potatoes will be kept and preserved in the cold storages in a special process.
But the market is already full of the potatoes that were cultivated before the season and its price is also quite good.
In other years farmers used to kept keep potatoes in the cold storage and wait for the price to rise due to falling market rates in the main season. Some farmers are used to preserve seed potatoes very carefully for good prices.
But this year the farmers have a smile on their faces as they have gotten the price of the potatoes a much higher than the last few years. Baliadangi, Haripur, Ranishankail, Pirganj and Sadar Upazilla under Thakurgaon District have a bumper yield of potatoes in this season.
According to the data of the District Agriculture Extension Department, this season, potatoes were cultivated on 25,030 hectors of land against whereas the target areas were estimated at 23,528 hectors.
Potatoes are being sold at Tk.20.00 to Tk.25.00 per kg (US$1.00 = Tk.87.00 more or less now) in the market. But traders are collecting it only at a rate of Tk.15.00 to Tk. 17.00 per kg from the farmers.
Though farmers do not get actual prices in comparison to the market, they are getting a profit of Tk.800. to Tk.1000.00 per hectors.
Mr Khabir Uddin, a potato farmer in the Nargun area, said, “I have spent about Tk.80,000.00 for advance cultivation of potatoes in 3.75 hectors and sold the potatoes at a total of about Tk.1,95,000 in this year.
