Sweet potatoes a boon for char farmers

Farming of sweet potato has become a boon for growers in different upazilas of Jamalpur due to its less cultivation cost, but a satisfactory return.

Many farmers, especially in the river basin villages, have engaged themselves in sweet potatoes farming and earning a good profit by selling their produces as its production cost is quite low, compared to other crops cultivation.

According Jamalpur Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), last season farmers in seven upazilas of the district had cultivated sweel potatoes on 1,097 hectares of land, but this season the total areas are 43 hectares more than the previous season.

Of the land, 230 hectares are in Islampur upazila, 190 hectares in Madarganj, 48 hectares in Dewanganj, 15 hectares in Melandah, 20 hectares in Bakshiganj, 580 hectares in Sarishabari and 14 hectares in Sadar upazila.

Besides, Jamalpur DAE is expecting a production of 29,510 tonnes of sweet potato this year, about 1,157 tonnes more than the previous year.

Farmers said they have cultivated 14 different varieties of sweet potatoes, including BARI-2, BARI-3, BARI-4, BARI-8, BARI-9, BARI-14, Kamola Sundari, Tripti, Okinawa, Murasaki, KKE-14, Purple Star, Morasaki.

But, compared to the other varieties of sweet potatoes, local variety is cultivated on more land, they said. Farmer Najim Uddin of Chinaduli village in Islampur upazila said he has planted two types of sweet potatoes on his seven bighas of char land, spending around Tk 1 lakh, and expecting a profit of nearly Tk 7 lakh.

Moinul Mia, another farmer from Parpara in Sarishabari upazila, said he has been cultivating sweet potatoes for the last three years as it is more profitable than the other crop cultivation.

Another Azad Ali of the area said he had already harvested 90 maunds of sweet potatoes from one bigha land, while each maund is currently selling for Tk 1,200 to Tk 1,400 in local markets.

The production cost was only Tk 15,000, but he had earned around Tk 1 lakh, Azad added.

Jamalpur DAE Deputy Director Zakia Sultana said though they have target to bring a total of 1,097 hectares of land under sweet potato farming this year, surprisingly the cultivation target has exceeded beyond their targeted areas.