Peanut farming in char areas of the district has gained popularity among farmers as Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) has taken a project to extend peanut cultivation in the district.
International Crop Research Institute for Semi-arid Tropics (ICRISAT), India and BARI with the financial support of OPEC are implementing a project for promoting peanut cultivation of peanut in Jamalpur district.
Sources in the Jamalpur Regional Agricultural Research Station (RARS) said farmers were supplied 100 kilogram BARI Chinabadam-8 variety free of cost. With the seeds 100 farmers cultivated peanut on 50 acres of land in Islampur Upazila and 40 farmers on 25 bighas of land in Jamalpur Sadar Upazila.
Before peanut farming the RARS provided training to the farmers on peanut cultivation along with providing technical assistance and continued monitoring of the crop fields.
One of the beneficiary- Kamrul Islam of Char Belgaccha village in Islampur Upazila said this year he cultivated groundnut on nine bighas of land and got 18 to 20 mound peanut from per bigha.
As peanut has a great demand in local markets the wholesalers purchase peanut from farmers’ home. In the local market per mound groundnut is being sold at a fir price of Taka 1800 to 2000, he said.
Farmers began sowing peanut seed in the field in the last week of October. The harvesting of groundnut began in the mid April. Farmers said about Tk 4000 to 5000 are spent for cultivating groundnuts on one bigha of land.
A farmer can earn about Taka 28,000 to 32,000 from cultivating peanut on one bigha of land, they said.
Principal Scientific Officer, RARS, Dr Manjurul Kadir said groundnut cultivation is also playing a vital role for poverty alleviation of char people. Many char people who became victims of river erosion were financially benefit by cultivating groundnut in the char areas during dry season, he said.
RARS is providing the farmers various support to cultivate groundnut in the almost barren char land where other crops seldom grow, he said.
The Principal Scientific Officer further said we are encouraging farmers who live in the rivers catchment areas to cultivate groundnut in the char areas. We will prescribe fertilizer dose for the groundnut cultivation after soil test for increasing yields in the next time, he said.
(BSS)
