RAJSHAHI, Feb 22: Groundnut cultivation has been popular among the local farmers due to low cultivation cost and fair price of the produce in the market.
A large quantity of char lands in Bagha Upazila of the district has been brought under groundnut farming as the weather has remained favourable since the sowing stage of the crop this season.
Farmers said if the weather remains favourable till harvesting, they would get bumper yield this season.
According to sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension here, the farming target was set on 500 hectares of land this year in the upazila. But farmers brought almost two times' more land under the farming. The department is always encouraging farmers through various ways in field level.
Concerned sources said groundnut can be cultivated in sandy lands. Farmers can earn profit from low cultivation cost.
Haider Ali of Kalidash Khali Village said he cultivated groundnut in four bighas of land spending Tk 20,000. If the weather remains favourable, the farmers expect bumper yield.
About Tk 5,000 are spent for groundnut cultivation in per bigha of land, and five to six maunds of groundnut can be grown from the same land, he added.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Shafiullah Sultan said sandy lands near the riverbanks and char areas are suitable for groundnut cultivation. They are encouraging farmers to bring more land under the cultivation of groundnuts.
