Potato farming sees fall in Barind

Nakoiler Beel looks different this potato growing season.

In usual situation, the vast water body would dry up by this time of December and potato growers would complete sowing the winter crop in the low lying area beside Rajshahi-Naogaon highway in Mohonpur upazila of Rajshahi.

Instead, huge croplands of the beel still remain under water in the east.

On west along the highway, a newly built brick kiln occupies another major portion of croplands.

Potato growers, however, find narrow lands in the middle for the cultivation.

Sitting at a corner of the margin between the brick kiln and croplands, Arajullah was mixing red and white fertilisers for his potato lands.

“I gave four bighas of lands to the brick field reducing my potato farming lands to seven from eleven bighas last year. Brick field offers sure money,” said Arajullah, who leased out his lands to a brick field at Tk 20,000 per bigha.

Agricultural experts said, the potato cultivation is likely to witness a remarkable fall in growing region of the Barind due to unfavourable weather, bad soil conditions, and frustration among farmers over the price fall.

In November, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) aimed potato cultivation on 68,000 hectares lands in four Barind districts of Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon and Natore while the last year's target area was 70,000 hectares in the districts.

This month when the farmers have only a few days for sowing potatoes, the department recorded 46 percent achievement of the target, said Joynal Abedin, acting assistant director of Rajshahi regional DAE.

“The potato cultivation target may not be achieved this year,” said Abedin, adding that the December rains aggravated the situation.

“Small farmers in large number are avoiding potato cultivation,” said Deb Dulal Dhali, deputy director of Rajshahi district DAE.

Normally the potato cultivation begins in early November.

But this season, the cultivation started in early December as croplands remained wet following rainfall in October, said farmers and the experts.

The farmers who would cultivate Boro paddy are also avoiding the delayed cultivation of potatoes.

Finding no buyers, many growers are selling out the potatoes for consumption that they preserved for using as seeds, said the experts and cold storage owners.

Moreover, the potato prices have fallen below Tk 6 per kg when its production cost is above Tk 10, growers and traders said.

The condition of those who stored potatoes in cold storages is worse as they are counting additional costs for rents.

“Last year's potatoes were a complete loss,” said commercial grower Abdur Razzak of Tanore upazila. He stored 57,000 sacks in storages.

He said a sack of 85kg potato now sells at Tk 500, already Tk 350 below the production cost and cold storage rent for a sack is Tk 365.

Cold storage owners are also suffering due to price fall, said Abu Bakkar Ali, president of cold storage owners' association in Rajshahi.

“Growers can't get prices, how will they pay us?” he said. The store owners are putting pressure on the farmers to empty the storages before next production,” he said.

Saber Ali of Borail village in Mohonpur has also reduced his potato cultivation area. But unlike many others, he did not lease out his lands to any brick kiln.

Out of eight bighas where he cultivated potatoes last year, he keeps three bighas for potatoes, and sowed mustard on four bighas. Rest of his lands is still under water.