Potato farmers at Bagha happy over bumper yield, fair price

RAJSHAHI, Jan 15: The potato farmers in different areas across Bagha Upazila are happy getting bumper yield and fair price of the potato.
At present hundreds of farmers in remote Padma riverbank area of the upazila are interested in potato cultivation seeing  bumper yield with good price.
Although the farmers here did not get minimum potato price last year, many of them cultivated potato in a panic about the fair price. But now the market price is good, and they are financially benefited having bumper early potato yield, farmers said.
According to the information of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) at Bagha upazila that the target of potato cultivation in Bagha upazila was set at 2,000 hectors of land last year. But the farmers here cultivated 2,500 to 3,000 hectors of land
this year.
Many farmers have become financially benefited and self-reliant by cultivating early potatoes. According to the sources, the quality of  Bagha Padma Bank potato is very good. Because of this, potatoes are being supplied to different parts of the country including the capital every season.
Bagha Padma Bank farmer Bablu Dewan said that he is getting fair price and financially benefited by cultivating early potato in five bighas of land this year. Because of this, the market of potato is good comparing the crops last several years.
The Bagha Padma River Bank Zone Chairman Azizul Azam said that the Padma char can be called vegetable char. All verities of vegetable including potato, brinjal, tomato, carrot, bean, onion, garlic, green gourd, snake gourd, sweet pumpkin, and radish are produced here. Every year, a huge quantity of vegetables are supplied to different parts of the country after meeting the local demands.
Whole vegetable seller Manik Mia of the upazila said, "Vegetable prices decrease in the winter season every year. The  main reason is that it is a productive area of vegetables. According to him, farmers now get fair prices of potatoes. Potato is being sold at Tk 24 to 25 per kilogram in the domestic market, and Holland potato is being sold at Tk 20 to 22.
Bagha Upazila Additional Agriculture Officer Naznin Begum said that the soil of Bagha is very useful for vegetable cultivation. In particular, the production of all vegetables in the Padma River Bank is good. Besides, different types of vegetables are being produced in flat areas.  
The farmers here especially in the remote Padma Bank area have cultivated the half of the total land across the upazila. The officials give suggestions to the farmers to cultivate all kinds of vegetable in this upazila, she added.