Rajarhat farmers pin hopes on early potato harvest

RAJARHAT, KURIGRAM, Nov 14: Farmers in Rajarhat Upazila of Kurigram are busy cultivating early-season potatoes, hoping to fetch higher prices by bringing their produce to the market ahead of the regular harvest season.

Many have started preparing their fields and planting potatoes early to take advantage of demand for new potatoes. However, low prevailing market prices and losses in previous years have raised concerns over profitability. Despite the uncertainty, farmers are taking the risk of early cultivation in the hope of recovering their investment.

During a visit to Dudhkhawa Mondolpara Village under Rajarhat Sadar Union on Thursday morning, this correspondent found farmer Alhaj Md Fazlul Haque Mondol preparing to grow early potatoes on his three acres of land.

To make the land suitable for early potato cultivation, he had previously grown BRAC's short-duration Mukt-1 rice variety.

After harvesting the rice, he began planting the early-season Asterix potato variety. Workers were busy planting potatoes in the fields.

Fazlul Haque said he had incurred losses over the past few years after storing potatoes in cold storage and selling them later. So, he decided to grow early potatoes this season.

"Potatoes are currently selling at Tk 10 per kg. It may cost Tk 80,000 to Tk 90,000 per acre to cultivate them this season. I hope to harvest the potatoes between January 20 and 25 and sell them directly in the open market," he said.

He hopes early sales will help him take advantage of demand for fresh potatoes and recover some of his previous losses. He is cultivating early potatoes on all three acres of land.

Other farmers in the area have also taken up early potato cultivation. Freedom Fighter Md Abul Kashem (Mogbor) has cultivated potatoes on 15 decimals of land, while Md Nazrul Islam Mondol has planted them on 60 decimals in the same village. Abdul Wahed Master of Bajemujrai Village has cultivated the crop on 75 decimals.

Farmers said early arrivals could meet consumers' demand for new potatoes and fetch better prices. However, with market prices currently low, they are uncertain whether they will be able to recover production costs.

Expenses on seeds, fertilisers, pesticides, irrigation and labour have added to their concerns about the season's potential returns. Still, they are continuing cultivation despite the risks, hoping to supply fresh potatoes to the market early.

Pradip Kumar Roy, a Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer at the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rajarhat, said lists of farmers had been prepared to ensure they received fertilisers at government-fixed prices.

Farmers are also being provided with necessary advice and assistance for potato cultivation, he added.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Tushar Kanti Roy said on Thursday afternoon that the target for potato cultivation in Rajarhat this season had been set at 2,600 hectares.

He said the target was about 10 hectares lower than that of the previous year. The department is providing farmers with necessary advice and support to help achieve and exceed the target.