BSS, Rangpur :
A super bumper production of 66.50 lakh tonnes of potato has been achieved this season in the northern region, higher by 3.23 lakh tonnes than last year, officials in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said.
Meanwhile, the potato farmers are happy this year getting excellent market price following huge export with increasing demand in the international market of the potato produced abundantly in the region, market sources said.
According to the DAE sources, the government had fixed a target of producing 60.65 lakh tonnes potato from 3.08 lakh hectares of land during this Rabi season for the northern region.
But, the enthusiastic farmers had brought 3.38 lakh hectares land under potato cultivation exceeding the fixed cultivation target by 30,322 hectares to produce 66.50 lakh tonnes potato, higher by 5.85 lakh tonnes than the fixed target for this time.
According to the DAE sources, the government had fixed a national target of producing 86.50 lakh tonnes potato from 4.40 lakh hectares this season in the country.
In the northern region, the farmers had finally cultivated potato on 3.38 lakh hectares land this time, higher by 9.82 percent than the fixed farming target, Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam said.
“And finally, farmers of the northern region have produced 66.50 lakh tonnes potato, about 76.88 percent of the fixed national target of producing 86.50 lakh tonnes this season,” he added.
Deputy Director of the DAE Feroz Ahmed said the DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) and other departments provided adequate quality potato seeds and inputs to the farmers.
Associate Director (Agriculture) of BRAC International (South Asia & Africa) Dr M A Mazid suggested for establishing adequate preservation facilities and agri-industries to make potato farming more profitable side by side enhancing its export.
Potato exporter and President of Rangpur District Potato Growers’ Association Alhaj Mohammad Khwaja Ahmed said the framers are happier getting better potato price and export of granular potato has been increased this season.
“We have already exported 70,000 tonnes of potato to Malaysia, Russia and some other countries at exporting price rate of 270 US $ pet tonne so far and the export might exceed one lakh tonnes this time from the Rangpur region alone,” he said.
Khwaja expressed his confidence that the nation might earn over 324 million US $ through exporting 12 lakh tonnes potato to Malaysia, Singapore, Russia and few other countries this season if the current export-friendly situation prevails constantly.
