A bumper sugarcane crop and fair prices have brought smiles to farmers in Kaliganj, Gazipur. According to the local Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), last year 3,614 tonnes of sugarcane were grown on 60 hectares. This year that rose to 3,735 tonnes on 62 hectares.
Sugarcane is grown to some extent in every union of the upazila, but more so in Bahadursadi, Jamalpur, Moktarpur and Kaliganj municipality. Various varieties are grown, but Ishwardi 16 and 36, Tenai, and BSRI 41 and 42 are the most common. Given the growing interest among local farmers, targets are likely to be exceeded in future if the trend continues.
Farmers' costs and earnings
Abdur Rahman (60), a sugarcane farmer from Bashair village in Bahadursadi union, said he grew sugarcane on 10 decimals of land last year at a cost of Tk 34,000 and sold the crop wholesale for Tk 40,000. This year he spent Tk 44,000 on the same area and sold it for Tk 55,000.
Islam Sarkar (68) of Khalapara village in the same union said he does all the work himself, so his costs are low: just Tk 10,000 to 15,000 on 9 decimals. Last year he sold the crop from the same land, at the same cost, for Tk 80,000; this year he sold it for Tk 1 lakh 20,000.
Abdul Baten (65) of the same village said he grew sugarcane on just 5 decimals, as he did last year. He sold last year's crop for Tk 32,000 and this year's for Tk 40,000.
Abed Ali (55) of Deulia village in Baktarpur union said he grew sugarcane for the first time this year, on 4 bighas. He was inspired after watching a neighbour grow it last year, and he is happy with the yield and the fair price.
Akter Hossain (60) of Ghonapara village in Kaliganj municipality said he and his neighbours Dulal Hossain, Maju Mia, Ponir Hossain and Akram Hossain, five in all, leased 4 bighas from a local landowner on a sharecropping basis and grew sugarcane together. All of them are happy with the yield and the fair price.
Training and machines
Kaliganj upazila agriculture officer Farzana Taslim, an agriculturist, said that in areas where more sugarcane is grown, the DAE has trained farmers, set up demonstrations and provided sugarcane crushing machines. Field-level agriculture officers are also advising farmers on fertiliser use and diseases at each stage from planting to harvest.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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