BSS, Rangpur :
Farmers are happy with getting excellent groundnut output and lucrative market price to lead a better life amid the Covid-19 pandemic as harvest of the crop continues in Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a target of producing 11,688 tonnes of groundnut from 6,015 hectares of land was fixed for all five districts in the agriculture region during the current Rabi season.
“However, farmers have finally cultivated groundnut on 6,181 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target by 2.76 percent this season,” Additional Director of the DAE’s Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Mahbubur Rahman said.
The DAE officials and market sources said farmers are earning a net profit of Tk 42,000 by producing 27 to 30 maunds of groundnut per acre of land on an average.
“Farmers are selling newly harvested groundnuts at between Tk 3,000 to 3,200 per maund (every 40 kg),” groundnut trader Mokhlesur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar told the national news agency on Saturday.
Farmers have been getting bumper production with lucrative prices following expanded cultivation of its high yielding varieties evolved by Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) on the main lands and char areas for the last 13 years. Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said cultivation of groundnut has become highly profitable following its increasing demand.
Farmers are generally earning around Tk 42,000 by producing up to 30 maunds of high yielding varieties of groundnut per acre of land, spending Tk 22,000 on an average.
“Groundnut is cultivated three times round the year during the Rabi, Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 seasons on the plain land and char areas bringing self-reliance to thousands of people, especially those living in char areas,” he said.
Farmer Nur Mohammad of Char Biswa Nath village in Kawnia upazila of Rangpur said that he has cultivated groundnut on 120 decimals of land spending Taka 25,000 this season.
“I am harvesting groundnuts now and expecting to get a total production of 40 maunds,” he said, and hoped that he would earn a net profit of Taka 50,000 excluding production costs.
Farmer Dudu Mian of Char Gonai village in the same upazila said he has cultivated groundnuts on 330 decimals of land, spending Tk 65,000.
“I am hopeful to get a total of 95 maunds groundnut and earn a net profit of Taka 1.30 lakh,” a happier Dudu Mian said.
Farmer Nur Mohammad of Char Biswa Nath village on the Teesta riverbed in Kawnia upazila said he has cultivated groundnut on 120 decimals of land this season, spending Tk 25,000.
“I will soon start harvesting the crop with an expectation of getting 35 maunds of groundnut after completing harvest by the next month,” he said.
Similarly, char farmers Mahbub Alam of village Char Paschim Mohipur in Rangpur, Abdul Aziz of village Char Dakshin Kharibari in Nilphamari, Farman Ali of village Char Khuniagachh in Lalmonirhat expected bumper groundnut production.
