BSS, Rangpur :
Farmers have produced 37,151 tonnes of sweet potato in all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region during the 2021-2022 Rabi season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and market sources said farmers are happy getting excellent market prices of sweet potato between Taka 700 and Taka 800 per mound (40 kilograms) depending on varieties and qualities.
The DAE had fixed a target of producing 39,958 tonnes of sweet potato from 1,835 hectares of land for Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts in the region.
However, farmers cultivated the crop on 1,777 hectares land less by 58 hectares of land against the fixed farming target due to crop diversification and cultivation of winter vegetables, maize and potato on more land area.
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mandal said many landless char people are farming sweet potato on sandy- barren char lands side by side with farmers in the mainland.
“The sandy-loamy and sandy lands are suitable for sweet potato farming which requires no fertilisers and irrigation water,” he said.
Landless Mahbub Alam, Kochhim Uddin and Anwar Hossain of village Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said they cultivated sweet potato on sandy char lands and got bumper production with lucrative prices.
Similarly, Golzar Hossain and Aminul Islam of village Dhushmara Char in Kawnia upazila here said they cultivated sweet potato cultivated on sandy char lands and got a bumper output with better prices this season.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said production of sweet potato could be increased further by imparting training and providing latest technologies to char people.
“Sweet potato contains vitamin A and C and mineral elements, which are absent in rice. It is enriched with protein, carbohydrate, calcium, iron, carotene and vitamin B1 and B2, which are essential for the human body,” Rashid added.
Agriculturist Dr M A Mazid, who got Independence Award 2018 in food security category, said an adult person can meet the required daily demand of 13 gram
vitamin-A by consuming a single moderate sized sweet potato.
Many people living in riverine char areas of Rangpur agriculture region are farming sweet potato and widely consuming the produce as alternative foodstuff like in many other countries.
Many tasty foods like ‘halua’, ‘payesh’, bread, ‘pauruti’, biscuit, pastry and cake could be produced through processing sweet potato with other ingredients for its devitrified consumption.
“If people change food habits and consume sweet potatoes having the same carbohydrate, nutrients and vitamins as rice, we can reduce pressure on rice as the changing climate continues affecting production of cereal crops,” he added.
