Kishoreganj of Nilphamari, a once manga-infested area, has now revolutionized potato production. Upazila Agriculture Office says that 1 lakh 86 thousand 500 tons have been produced by cultivating potatoes on 6 thousand 620 hectares of land in the current season. And the income is 279 crore 75 lakh taka.
Farmers sow potato seeds in the field in the last week of September. By the last week of November, their produced potatoes are taken all over the country including Dhaka. At that time, since there was no potato cultivation anywhere else in the country, the potato farmers got more profit by selling each kg of potatoes at the rate of Tk 80 per kg.
According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, this year in Kishoreganj Upazila, the target of potato cultivation has been set in 6 thousand 340 hectares (49 thousand 800 bighas), but potato cultivation has been done in 6 thousand 620 hectares of land. Another 280 ha of potato cultivation has exceeded the target. One lakh 86 thousand five hundred tons of potatoes have been produced in about 52 thousand bighas (30 percent per bigha). The income from the potato produced by the farmer is about 280 crores. Which is twice the cost of production.
Shamim Hossain Babu, a potato grower of North Durakuti village of Bahagili union of Kishoreganj upazila, said, I have cultivated potatoes in advance on 21 bigha of land. At the beginning of November, I sold 91 sacks of potatoes from my 8 bigha land at the price of Tk 57 per kg in Dhaka’s Kawran market for Tk 420,000. First, my production costs have gone up. Later, due to the decrease in price, the second time I sold the potatoes at 35 taka per kg and the last at 23 taka.
Feroz Mia, a potato grower of Kalikapur village of Putimari Union, said, I have grown potatoes on 15 bigha of land. In 15 bigha, my production cost is 3 lakh 20 thousand taka. The yield is 30 to 35 bags per bigha. Each sack weighs 85 kg. I have sold potatoes at the current market price of Tk 16 per kg. As the yield was good, I made a profit of one and a half to two lakh taka excluding the production cost.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Lokman Alam said that this upazila is famous for potato cultivation besides being known as a cotton farm for potato production. Farmers of this upazila earn crores of rupees every year by cultivating potatoes. We are working equally day and night to implement the instructions of the Prime Minister so that no land falls.
He said that the farmers went door to door and advised. As a result, farmers have grown potatoes on more land than the target. This year, the farmers of this upazila have earned 280 crores from potatoes.
