Farmers of Joypurhat weave dream of future in potatoes | The Asian Age Online, Bangladesh

Farmers of Kalai upazila in Joypurhat spending busy time collecting potatoes from the field. Due to favorable weather, bumper yield has been predicted in the district. -AA

Farmers of Kalai in Joypurhat are now dreaming of the future with potatoes. So now they are busy tending the potato fields in the hope of bumper yields. Farmers hope that the government will buy potatoes like paddy at good prices. Therefore, they have demanded the concerned people including the Agriculture Minister to take initiative in exporting potatoes from now on.

According to the district agriculture department, a target has been set to cultivate potatoes in 40,500 hectares of land in Joypurhat this season. The target for upazila based potato planting is 7,200 hectares in Joypurhat Sadar Upazila, 7,000 hectares in Panchbibi Upazila, 9,000 hectares in Khetlal Upazila, 11,100 hectares in Kalai Upazila and 6,200 hectares in Akkelpur Upazila. The target for potato production is 10 lakh 12 thousand 500 metric tons. Which can be sent to other districts by meeting the demand of the district.

It has been observed that the potato farmers of the district are now busy in cultivating the potato fields. They are weeding and binding potatoes with spades. Some people are applying fungicides, vitamins, fertilizers and various non-food supplements to prevent the disease. Farmers are now cultivating improved varieties – Aristric, Cardinal, Diamond, Laura, Carriage Potato and Indigenous varieties – Pakri, Pahari Pakri, Butt Pakri, Oil Pakri, Fata Pakri, Romana and Jam Potato and earlier varieties – Mijica, Granola, Fres Has done.

Farmer Fazlur Rahman of Karim Nagar, Tajul Islam of Khosalpur Naopara, Abdul Momin of Thupsara, Mosharraf of Hajipara, Abdul Based of Balait and many others said that they have cultivated potatoes in the hope of getting good yield and good price. With that dream in mind, they are spending their time busy tending the potato fields. They demanded that the government would ensure good prices for potatoes in the interest of farmers. For this, those concerned will stop importing potatoes from abroad and will take initiative from now on to export potatoes abroad.

SM Meftahul Bari, deputy director of the district agricultural extension department, said leaflets were being distributed among farmers in five upazilas of the district to raise awareness. He is hopeful that the farmers will get bumper yields if they take care of the potatoes as advised by the Department of Agriculture and if the weather is favorable till the end.

—Ataur Rahman, Joypurhat




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