Farmers in Dinajpur district are busy planting early potatoes in the hope of bigger profits. With favourable weather, they have harvested short-duration early aman paddy and are now busy ploughing the same land, tending it, applying fertiliser, collecting seed from cold stores and planting.

Fertiliser, however, is a problem. Farmers are having to pay Tk 1,100 to 1,200 for a 50 kg bag of potash priced at Tk 750, and Tk 1,300 to 1,400 for a 50 kg bag priced at Tk 1,100.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) says early potato varieties will be grown on 10,000 hectares in Dinajpur district this year.

A tour of various upazilas of Dinajpur found farmers preparing land for potatoes with three trolleys of cow dung, 20 kg of potash and one bag of phosphate fertiliser per bigha, then planting seed potatoes in rows. About 14 maunds of seed potatoes are needed per bigha, which farmers are buying at Tk 800 a maund. Growing potatoes on a bigha costs Tk 23,000 to 25,000, and the yield is 70 to 75 maunds a bigha. Farmers harvest within 50 to 55 days of planting. Although the potato season is in the coming Bengali month of Agrahayan, farmers are planting early potatoes in Ashwin in the hope of higher prices.

Afzal Hossain, a potato grower in Birampur upazila, said he grows potatoes on six bighas in the season. Every year, before the aman harvest and threshing begin, he grows early potatoes on one bigha, which fetch a much higher price. He will be able to market them in Agrahayan.

Maulana Emdadul Haque said he had grown potatoes on several bighas, planting early in the hope of higher prices. New potatoes fetch over Tk 100 every year, he said. He sends his potatoes to local markets and the capital and hopes for a good price again this year.

Shamim Hossain, a farmer of Amdungi (Alurdanga) village in Shibnagar union, Phulbari upazila, said planting early potatoes is something of a competition: the earlier a farmer's potatoes come up, the better the price he gets. Demand for new potatoes is huge at the start of the season, and those who can supply consumers early will get high prices and double profits.

Belal Hossain of Nurpur village in Shibnagar union has planted early potato seed on two bighas and Rasel on three. They said that if they can harvest early they will be able to sell at Tk 75 to 80 a kg wholesale.

Belal Hossain said the land in the area is high and mixed with sand, so there is little fear of major damage even from heavy rain, as the soil dries out. That is why he is planting early potato seed in the hope of double profits. He said he is planting the early Rozada variety.

Farmers complain, however, that they are having to buy fertiliser at high prices: Tk 1,100 to 1,200 for a Tk 750 bag of potash, and Tk 1,300 to 1,400 for a Tk 1,100 bag, both of 50 kg. This is pushing up their costs somewhat.

Abdus Salam of Pakerhat Adarsha village in Angarpara union, Khansama upazila, said: "Last year, after harvesting early paddy, I lifted potatoes from 29 decimals and sold them at Tk 70 to 80 a kg, doubling my profit. So this year I have planted more land with a variety that can be lifted in 50 to 55 days. The weather is favourable this time, and I am planting happily in the hope of a better yield than last year. I will plant early potatoes on 10 bighas."

Rafiqul Islam of Goaldihi village said: "By growing early potato varieties you can profit by selling at high prices in the capital and divisional cities across the country. Early potatoes do a lot to make up for losses on other crops, so I grow them."

Birampur upazila agriculture officer Nixon Chandra Pal said the target for this potato season in the upazila was 1,650 hectares. In many places farmers have started growing early potatoes in the hope of good prices.

Phulbari upazila agriculture officer Rumman Akter said the target in the upazila this year was 1,994 hectares. Farmers have harvested early aman and are now busy with early potatoes.

Khansama upazila agriculture officer Basudeb Roy said the soil of the upazila is very suitable for early potatoes. With favourable weather this time, farmers are working hard on early potatoes field after field.

Md Nuruzzaman, deputy director of the DAE in Dinajpur, said the district's potato target had not yet been finalised. According to a draft list, potatoes will be grown on 48,590 hectares in Dinajpur, of which early varieties will cover 10,000 hectares. So far early potato seed has been planted on 500 hectares.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.