Pabna farmers making fortune with low-cost taro stolon

PABNA, Aug 29: High-yielding taro stolon (Kochur Loti) cultivation is becoming more popular in the district. 
Farmers in this area choose Taro stolon cultivation because it costs less and can double profit with less effort than paddy, wheat, or other common crops. Green fields of taro stolon now cover the silt-loam soil of many beels and river basins in the district. To meet demand, safe and tasty taro stolons reach the wholesale markets of Dhaka, Chittagong, and other parts of the country every day.

In the district, 200 to 260 hectares of land are grown in nine upazilas. In Pabna Sadar, Loti is grown on about 50 to 70 hectares. The alluvial soil and river basin lands of Pabna Sadar are often used for Loti cultivation. In Santhia Upazila, Loti and kachu are grown on 40 to 50 hectares. In Ishwardi Upazila, modern varieties (Bari Taro Stolon-1 and Bari Taro Stolon-2) are grown on 30 to 40 hectares. In upazilas such as Atgharia, Chatmohar, Sujanagar and others, commercial cultivation covers another 30 to 50 hectares.

When visiting fields in Pabna Sadar, Santhia and Ishwardi Upazilas, one can see farmers busy picking Loti and tying them. Farmers say that in this area the kachu varieties 'Bari Taro Stolon-1' and 'Bari Taro Stolon-2' created by the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) are often grown. The special feature of these varieties is that the Loti is very long, soft and tasty, and it does not cause a throat.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) says that if a seedling taro stolon is planted between the months of  December and March, harvesting can start in 2 to 2.5 months. After planting seedlings can be gathered every week for five to six months. The total cost for planting, fertiliser, irrigation, and maintenance per bigha is 15 to 20 thousand taka. If proper care is given, 70 to 90 maunds of seedlings can be produced from one bigha in the whole season. Each maund of seedlings sells for 1200 to 2000 taka. Therefore, the net profit per bigha, not counting expenses, is 80 thousand to one lakh taka.

A successful Loti farmer in the upazila said, "Earlier, growing paddy would not have covered the expenses. After advice from the agricultural office, I started growing taro stolons on one bigha of land. I harvest the seedlings two days a week. Local wholesalers buy them from the fields. Such high profits are not possible with any crop that has low risk."

Agricultural officials say that taro stolon is a nutritious and profitable crop. The soil and climate of Pabna are well suited for taro stolon cultivation. Farmers receive training, proper irrigation management and advice on using organic pesticides. Those who care believe that if processing and marketing facilities are improved, it is possible to export Kochur Loti domestically and overseas.