BSS, Rangpur :
Farmers have produced all-time record of 11,988 tonnes of groundnut in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region during the just-ended 2021-2022 Rabi season.
Market sources said farmers are earning an average profit of Taka 50,000 by producing 22 to 25 mounds of groundnut per acre of land excluding farming costs of about Taka 22,000 per acre.
“Farmers are selling newly harvested groundnuts to wholesalers at rates between Taka 3,500 to 4,000 per mound (every 40 kg) this time,” groundnut trader Mokhlesur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar told the national news agency.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a target of producing 11,688 tonnes of groundnut was fixed from 6,015 hectares of land for the region this time.
“Farmers finally cultivated groundnut on 6,190 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target by 175 hectares or 2.91 percent this time,” said Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Emdad Hossain Sheikh.
After completing harvest, farmers produced 11,988 tonnes of groundnut, higher by 300 tonnes against the fixed production target in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari districts of the region this time. During the previous 2020-2021 Rabi season, farmers produced 11,087 tonnes of groundnut by cultivating the crop on 6,190 hectares of land in the region. “Farmers are expanding cultivation of groundnut both in the riverine char areas and mainland every year following growing demand of the crop in the country’s boosting foods industries sector,” Hossain mentioned.
Farmers got bumper groundnut production following expanded cultivation of its high yielding varieties evolved by Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) on more land.
Because of lower farming costs and excellent market price with huge demand, char people and farmers are reaping huge profits from groundnut cultivation in the region.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said farmers can earn Taka 50,000 by producing 22 to 25 mounds of groundnut per acre of land spending Taka 23,000 as farming costs per acre.
“Cultivation of groundnut is expanding during the last thirteen years following a huge boost of the food industries increasing demand for agro-commodity,” Rashid added. Talking to BSS, farmer Nur Mohammad of village Char Biswanath in Kawnia upazila of Rangpur said he cultivated groundnut on 50 decimals of sandy char land on the Teesta riverbed this season.
“After completing harvest last month, I got 11 mounds of groundnut and sold the crop at Taka 3,500 per mound to reap a net profit of Taka 25,000 excluding farming costs,” he said.
Farmer Saidul Islam of Char Gorokmandal village in Phulbari upazila of Kurigram said he cultivated groundnut on 1.70 acres of char land on the Dharla riverbed.
He got a bumper production of groundnut after completing harvest and earned a net profit of Taka 80,000 excluding all related costs for farming and harvesting of the crop this season.
Farmers Rashidul Haque of village Char Kharibari in Dimla upazila and Nur Alam of village Char Chilmari Danga in Domar upazila of Nilphamari said they earned all-time high profits from groundnut farming on sandy char land this season.
