The farmers in six Jhenaidah upazilas have been benefitting by farming taro root in the current Kharif 2 season. They have been harvesting 75 to 80 maunds from each bigha of land.
It has been helping to strengthen the socio and economic state of the farmers in the upazilas of the district, said the farmers.
Babu Mandal, 32, a young farmer of Gobindapur village in Shailkupa Upazila in Jhenaidah, said that he had cultivated the vegetables on his 10 decimals of land in the season. He is expecting at least 20 maunds of the crop in six months. Around Tk 40,000 will be earned by him. He spent Tk 7,000 to Tk 8,000 for seeds, fertilizer, irrigation and weeding out. A farmer can easily earn Tk one lakh excluding all expenses from one bigha of land in a season. The farmers involved in farming the taro root are reaping better than other vegetables, especially in Kharif 2 season, Babu Mandal said.
Another farmer of the village said a good number of farmers make good profit when they cultivate red amaranth and radish along with the taro root. They can earn at least 10 per cent additional money from the same plot, he said.
A source related to the office of the deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah said that the famers of Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu upazila have brought a total of 850 hectares of land under the taro root farming in Kharif 2 season this year. The season starts since mid-July and continues till early November every year. They are expecting about 24 tonnes of the vegetables in the current season, while the farmers had brought their 735 hectares of land under the farming of it in the last season. They had produced 23.67 tonnes on an average on each hectare of land.
DAE Jhenaidah Sadar Upazila Agricultural Officer (UAO) Nur E Nabi said the farmers in Jhenaidah are very sincere and hardworking to produce the crops, especially, vegetables. As there is a good demand of the vegetables in the area as well as in other parts of the country, the farmers involve themselves round the clock for better and quality production. The farmers sell the crop in local or outside markets. Taro root and such other crops have been helping to strengthen economic condition of the farmers, UAO Nur E Nabi said.
