After potatoes and mustard, farmers in Dinajpur are now busy tending their tomato fields. With favourable weather and no shortage of fertiliser or pesticide, they are hoping for a bumper crop of summer tomatoes this year. They planted tomato seedlings after lifting early potatoes, and are now using bamboo strips and string to keep the plants from bending under storms, rain and their own weight.

Farmers and the agriculture department say that barring a natural disaster, the district will have a bumper crop of summer tomatoes this year. With good transport links, tomatoes can easily be sent to any part of the country, benefiting both farmers and traders, and traders have already started asking after tomato growers.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur, summer tomato seedlings have been planted on 1,142 hectares in the district. Planting is still going on, and the area may grow further. Tomato planting in Dinajpur began on 15 Magh, and harvest starts from 15 Chaitra, though some grow early tomatoes on a small scale.

Summer tomato varieties such as Vikoma, Provenship, Rani, Raja Kumar and Bipul Plus are grown widely in Sadar, Chirirbandar, Biral and other upazilas. This year Bipul Plus is the most widely grown.

Farmer Madhusudan Roy (40) of Madarganj Arjigalahar village in Chirirbandar upazila said he had planted Bipul Plus seedlings on one bigha (33 decimals). The plants have started to flower and he is busy looking after them.

He said growing tomatoes on the land would cost Tk 30,000 to 35,000 in all. With a good yield he would get 400 maunds. Even selling at Tk 10 a kg, he could sell Tk 1 lakh 60 thousand worth, for a profit of Tk 1 lakh 25 thousand; selling for less would cut the profit somewhat. "You don't usually lose money on tomatoes, unless there is a disaster," he said.

Salauddin, a farmer in Chak Deotoir village of Sadar upazila, said the same. "I have grown Bipul Plus tomatoes on 60 decimals. So far the plants look very good, and some have started to flower. If the yield is good and I get a good price, I will make a good profit. A good price would be the icing on the cake."

Nuruzzaman, deputy director of the DAE in Dinajpur, said: "Tomato production has increased with modern technology. We are monitoring all the time so that farmers don't run into problems growing tomatoes. Farmers got good prices for rice, potatoes and mustard, and I hope they will get good prices for tomatoes this time too."

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