People of the river islands in the northern district Kurigram are highly blessed with peanut production galore as the market demands have risen in the last few years. Due to the application of modern technology and use of fertilizer and quality seed, the yield increased year to year. Though communication and connectivity within the char islands of Chilmari Upazila are virtually non-existent, buyers ship peanuts by using boats to reach their preferred destinations. Due to the geographical nature of the chars, the biggest peanut market in Rangpur is almost never found on the same spot two years in a row due to the changing waters of Brahmaputra River. The market is always established next to a boat base that also changes location each year based on the river’s height and due to the low water level, this year.
There are around 40,000 char farmers that grow peanuts along the Brahmaputra River. Peanuts are planted in mid-October and harvested from the last week of December till the first week of January. Char farmers get 12 to 15 mounds of the crop from each bigha at a cost of between Tk 8,000 and Tk 10,000. After harvesting the peanuts, the farmers plant various other crops such as maize, black cumin, chia seeds and sesame seeds, and wheat in the char land. Char farmers are regularly advised and given technical support by DAE officials.
Peanut cultivation came as a blessing to the people living in char areas. By selling the product, they are able to bring prosperity to their families. A few years ago, farmers in the region had no idea about the seed, fertilizers and pesticides to use. However, they yield better than ever thanks to the use of modern techniques and materials. We ask the government and non-government actors to establish strong market linkage for the char farmers, thus they can get fair prices.
