Farmers in Rajshahi area are benefiting through cultivating peanut in char lands on the Padma River.
Under Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) project, farmers of Char Mazardiar in Haripur and Harian Ups in Paba upazilas have been cultivating the crop since November last year.
Earlier, three to four maunds of peanut were harvested on bigha of land, but this time, farmers got eight to nine maunda of peanut per bigha of cropland because of the availability of improved varieties of seeds through the BMDA project. Compared to the last year, this time the farmers have earned Tk 15,000 to 20,000 per bigha.
Farmers Shahid Ali, Matiur Rahman, Alam, Ramzan Ali, Abdur Razzak, Sirajul Islam, Gaffar Ali, Shamsuddin and Nazim Uddin of Char Mazardiar said they have benefited by cultivating peanut through the project.
Rajshahi Region executive engineer Shariful Haque said BMDA project has provided improved varieties of nut seeds to farmers in the char areas.
“This time they have benefited through cultivating nuts. Various projects have also been undertaken for the nutrition security and development of the people of Padma Char, especially farmers.
BMDA chairman Dr Akram Hossain Chowdhury said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had instructed to produce low water consuming and high value crop nuts in char areas including Padma Char in Barind region.
In order to implement the directive of the Prime Minister, BMDA has taken initiative to produce seed nuts experimentally among the farmers of Char Mazardia, he added.
Now the poor farmers of Char are benefiting economically producing nut, he further said.
GY
