Bumper groundnut production delights Rangpur farmers

Agriculture experts are expecting bumper production of groundnut as farmers have exceeded the fixed farming target of the cash crop by 36.72 percent during the current Rabi season in Rangpur agriculture region.

Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said, a target of producing 5,512 tonnes of groundnut from 3,445 hectares of land has been fixed for all five districts under the agriculture region this season.

Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam, the Horticulture Specialist of the DAE said the farmers have finally cultivated groundnut in 4,710 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target by 1,265 hectares of land or 36.72 percent.

"Groundnut cultivation has been increasing faster in recent years following its expanded cultivation with bumper production everywhere, including the vast sandy-barren char areas on the river basins, in the region,” Islam added.

Farmers Lokman Hossain, Saiful Islam and Saiduzzaman of Char Biswa Nath village under Kawnia upazila said he has changed fortune through farming groundnut during the past two decades to lead solvent life.

Similarly, farmers Yakub Hossain, Hamidur Rahman, Rezaul Islam, Abdus Sobhan and Shakil Ahmed of different villages said they also achieved self-reliance through farming groundnut in the sandy-barren char lands in recent years.

Md Moniruzzaman, Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office said a farmer could earn a profit of Taka 30 to 35 thousand by producing 20 to 22 mounds of groundnut per acre of land after spending Taka 12,000- 14,000 for farming costs in the char lands, reports BSS.  

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur SM Asharf Ali said, the government has been providing assistance to the farmers for expanding groundnut cultivation on the char lands and main land areas.

Predicting bumper production of groundnut this time, Md Shah Alam, Regional Additional Director of the DAE said many farmers have improved their livelihoods through cultivating groundnut twice annually during the Rabi and Kharif seasons in recent years.