Farmers in Mirsharai and Sitakunda upazilas of Chattogram are profiting from summer hybrid tomato. Good prices at this time of year are raising their interest in the crop, which they have grown with the support of the two upazila agriculture offices.

According to the Mirsharai upazila agriculture office, farmer Abdul Mannan and many others have succeeded in growing the summer hybrid tomato BARI-8 in the upazila, and are getting good prices at market.

The Sitakunda agriculture department says that, to ease farmers' difficulties by saving water, the upazila agriculture department for the first time grew the new BARI-8 tomato on a trial basis using drip irrigation. Encouraged by the department, farmer Md Abu Taher of Nunachhara has already had striking success with the trial.

In Abu Taher's field, rows of tomato plants grow under a structure built with a poly shed, surrounded by mosquito netting. Strings hung from above keep the plants upright, and pipes laid through the field deliver water drop by drop. He has produced a good-quality crop while avoiding wasting water.

Abu Taher told Jago News: "The upazila agriculture department and the NGO YPSA encouraged me and gave me full support to grow off-season tomatoes with this completely new method. My cost was Tk 60,000 to 62,000. Since the end of June I have sold more than Tk 2 lakh worth of tomatoes, and more than Tk 1 lakh more will be sold."

Hybrid tomato BARI-8 is a high-yielding summer variety with high heat tolerance. Its skin and flesh are an attractive red, and the fruit is quite fleshy. Each plant bears 40 to 45 fruits on average, each weighing 60 to 65 grams on average. The fruit is flat and round in shape.

Farmer Abdul Mannan told Jago News: "Because of the upazila agriculture office's interest, I grew hybrid tomato on 50 decimals of land. I am getting good prices at market. From the start, the agriculture office has been giving all kinds of advice and help."

He added: "For a good yield and normal growth of the seedlings, a polythene shade is needed. It should be 6 feet high in the middle and 4.5 feet on the two sides, with a 50-centimetre-wide drain between two shades, so rainwater running off the shades can drain away and other care is easier."

Sitakunda upazila agriculture officer Md Habibullah said: "With YPSA's help, we gave farmer Abu Taher drip irrigation technology on a trial basis. We also built him a poly shed so that the tomato plants would not be damaged even by heavy monsoon rain. We gave him regular advice. As he has profited well, we will encourage many more to use this method in future."

Mirsharai upazila agriculture officer Pratap Chandra Roy said: "Mirsharai upazila is suitable for summer tomato. Farmer Abdul Mannan of Hajishwarai has done best, and others have done well too. Summer tomato farming is quite profitable, which is why the initiative to grow tomatoes at this time was taken."

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