Farmers in Chuadanga have started cultivating elephant foot yam commercially as they can make a high profit with a low cost from this tuber crop.
Due to its good taste and nutrition value, this vegetable has a great demand in the market as well.
Many farmers in various villages of Chuadanga district have started cultivating elephant foot yam as they can earn a profit of more than Tk one lakh per bigha in one season.
Sources from Chaudanga Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said elephant foot yam was cultivated in 121 hectares of land in the district in this season. It was cultivated in 15 hectares of land in Chuadanga Sadar upazila, 62 hectares of land in Alamdanga upazila, 29 hectares of land in Damurhuda upazila and 15 hectares of land in Jibannagar upazila. The elephant foot yams are now being harvested from these lands and being sold at the markets.
Rahima Khatun, a female farmer from Betbaria village in Alamdanga upazila, said she took a demonstration plot of 10 bighas of land for elephant foot yam cultivation from Alamdanga Department of Agricultural Extension. The DAE gave her two sacks of organic fertilizer, 9 kg of potash, 9 kg of DAP, and two sacks of elephant foot yam seeds for cultivation. The yield of elephant foot yam was good this season.
The harvesting of elephant foot yam has started from the field at present. Each piece of elephant foot yam weighs from three Kg to five Kg.
Ziaur Rahman Laltu, a farmer hailing from Nabinagar village under Kutubpur union in Chuadanga Sadar upazila, said he is cultivating elephant foot yam for seven to eight years. As the weather was suitable for cultivating elephant foot yam, the yield was good this year. This crop cannot be cultivated in the same land repeatedly. The land has to be changed in every two years. Many farmers in Nabinagar cultivated the crop after watching him to do it. They need fertilizer, irrigation and labourers to cultivate other crops. However, the Department of Agricultural Extension has provided Tk 2,500 for the maintenance of the demonstration plot that they were given to cultivate elephant foot yam.
He also said he cultivated elephant foot yam in 22 Kathas of land. The crop is being harvested at present. Each piece of elephant foot yam weighs from three to five kg. He cultivated the crop in two bighas of land last year. At first, he sold each maund of elephant foot yam at Tk 5,000. Then he sold it at Tk 4,200, after that at Tk 3,500 and lastly at Tk 2,800 per maund. In total, he made a profit of Tk 1,70,000 from selling elephant foot yam. He planted elephant foot yam seeds in four bighas and 14 Kathas of land this year to produce seeds and sell them in the market. The market of this crop is very good this year. He will be able to make a large profit if the market continues like this. If the market would be same as the last year, he will be able to sell elephant foot yam of Tk 6,00,000 this season.
Farmer Chhalim Uddin, who gained recognition in Chuadanga by cultivating the crop, said elephant foot yam is usually planted at the end of Bengali month Chaitra and the beginning of Boishakh. He got demonstration plot of more than 20 decimals from Department of Agricultural Extension. For each bigha of land, he needs eight maunds of seeds that weigh 250gm each, 10 maunds of seeds that weigh 500gm each and even larger quantities of seeds that weigh one to two kg each. However, considering the price of seeds, it would be impossible to cultivate elephant foot yam without having one's own seeds. The cost of 10 maunds of seeds at the time of planting elephant foot yam is Tk 50,000.
He said that the amount of elephant foot yam yield in per bigha of land depends on the size of the seeds. Seventy maunds to hundred maunds of elephant foot yam are produced in each bigha of land. He sold elephant foot yam of Tk 1,300 to Tk1,400 from the land till now. It is being sold at a retail price of Tk 50 per kg in the market. If a farmer has his own seeds, then his cost to cultivate elephant foot yam in per bigha of land will be around Tk 25,000 to Tk 30,000. The farmer will be able to sell elephant foot yam of Tk 1,00,000 to Tk 1,30,000. He will be able to sell elephant foot yam of almost Tk 4,00,000 this season, he added.
Deputy Director of Chuadanga Department of Agricultural Extension Md Masudur Rahman Sarkar said it has become essential to add taro crops in people’s daily diet due to the change in dietary habit. Moreover, the government has given emphasize on ensuring the production of safe crops. So, the farmers have stated cultivating elephant foot yam commercially with the help of Department of Agricultural Extension.
A total of 21 metric tonnes to 22 metric tonnes of elephant foot yam will be produced this season as the weather was suitable. Currently, elephant foot yam is being sold at a wholesale price of Tk 1,300 to Tk 1,400 taka per maund. It is being sold at a retail price of Tk 50 to Tk 60 kg in the market. With this kind of price in the market, farmers in Chuadanga will be able to sell elephant foot yam of Tk 7 crores from 121 hectares of land.
