Our Correspondent :
During the ongoing coronation in Borhanuddin, Bhola, farmers are smiling as they got bumper sugarcane as well as higher prices. A large part of the profits went to the pockets of the wholesalers last year as farmers sold sugarcane to wholesalers in anticipation of a downturn in the market situation in Corona. This year they did not make that mistake.
Farmers say earlier yields have been better than ever due to favorable weather and proper care. However, if additional pesticides were not applied to prevent insect attacks, the profit would have been more than Tk 1,000 to 2,000 per 4 percent.
According to the Agriculture Office, 5 thousand 535 May in 120 hectares of land this year tones of sugarcane cultivation have been targeted. Sugarcane has been cultivated in 135 hectares of land exceeding that target.
Sugarcane production has exceeded the target of 48 metric tons per hectare. Besides, the farmers have got the expected results due to favorable weather and proper care. Although sugarcane is cultivated in all areas of the upazila, most of it is produced in Baramanika and Kutuba Unions of the upazila.
Ishak, a sharecropper of ward number three of Baramanika Union, Md. Rashed, Khorshed Alam, Abdul Malek and Kamal Hossain said that the on-site department of Bangladesh Sugar Crop Research Institute provided training two years ago and also provided sugarcane seeds of Rang Bilas and Amrita varieties. Besides, they have collected CO-206 variety of sugarcane and Bombay-206 variety by themselves.
Sugarcane farmer Ishak said, he spent 50,000 Tk for cultivating sugarcane on 40 percent of the land. He has sold the whole farm for Tk.1 lakh 30 thousand.
Another farmer Md. Reshad Ali spent Tk 52,000 by cultivating sugarcane and sold at Tk. 1 lakh 34 thousand.
Abdul Malek and Kamal Hossain spent Tk 50,000 and sold it for Tk 132,000. Habib, a sugarcane farmer from Chhotamanika village in Ward No. 6 of Kutuba Union, has spent Tk 40,000 to cultivate sugarcane on 32 percent of the land and the sale has gone down to Tk 1 lakh 5 thousand.
The farmers also said that the people of the agriculture office have helped them with various suggestions.
The farmers also said that in addition to selling sugarcane, if every 800 cane is transported from the field to transport, an additional income of Tk 2,000 is earned. Kutuba Union and Baramanika Union (additional responsibilities) part of the Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Mizanur Rahman Rony said that all assistance has been provided from the side of sugarcane farmers.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Omar Farooq said, sugarcane cultivation has less risk, less capital but more profit. It can also be used for multiple crops up to one stage. At present, we are making efforts to popularize the cultivation of chewed varieties of sugarcane.
