Farmers in Sharsha, Jashore, are turning to mukhi kachu (sarkachu) because it is profitable. The crop needs comparatively little fertiliser, suffers few diseases, yields well and has a readily available local wholesale market, so the agriculture department regularly encourages and advises growers.

The growing interest has also created part-time work and extra income for members of low-income families. With conditions favourable all round, the area under mukhi kachu is increasing every season.

According to the upazila agriculture office, mukhi kachu has been grown on 115 hectares in Sharsha upazila this year. With favourable weather there has been little disease, and because the crop is more profitable at lower cost, 5 hectares more have been planted than last year.

The largest area, 85 hectares, is in Nizampur union of the upazila. Of this, 50 hectares are in the Keralkhali-Basabari, Basantapur-Pariarghop and Kandarpapur-Bhayna areas alone.

Visits to fields in Nizampur union and other parts of the upazila found local and high-yielding varieties of mukhi kachu growing on hundreds of bighas, their green leaves swaying in the wind.

At Basabari Bazar, mukhi kachu farmer Siddique Biswas of Pariarghop village said: "This year I have grown mukhi kachu on four and a half bighas. With favourable weather and hardly any disease, each bigha should yield an estimated 70 to 80 maunds. If the weather does not turn bad at harvest time, I will make a profit of more than Tk 2 lakh after all costs."

Several other farmers were also interviewed, including Abu Jafar and Abdullah of Pariarghop; Babu, Mizan, Tota, Imran, Salam and Biplob of Keralkhali; Azgar of Bhayna; Sadhan of Basantapur; and Tobi of Naihati village. They said they had made good profits last year by growing mukhi kachu on the encouragement and advice of agriculture officials, and have grown it again this year. With good weather they expect a bumper crop and hope for good prices, and they think they will make a profit of Tk 40,000 to 45,000 a bigha.

Members of low-income families in the area are doing part-time work tending, lifting, cleaning and transporting the crop, earning extra money that is helping them become somewhat self-reliant.

Golam Hossain of Bhayna village said: "This year I have grown mukhi kachu on one and a half bighas. I have lifted an early crop and started selling in the local market at Tk 80 to 100 a kg. I am getting three maunds per katha. I am happy with the price and the good yield."

Shafiqul Islam, owner of Halima Traders at Basabari Bazar, said: "Farmers have not yet started lifting mukhi kachu from the fields in full, but a few have begun lifting it for the local market. Prices are quite high at the start. Within the next week or two, hundreds of maunds will start arriving at the Basabari wholesale market."

As last year, farmers from Jhikargachha upazila as well as Sharsha will sell their produce wholesale at this market. Then, every day, wholesalers will take thousands of maunds from its 30 to 35 commission agents' depots by truck and pickup to Sylhet, Dhaka, Bogura, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Magura, Jashore, Satkhira and other parts of the country.

Farmers from various places will bring the crop to market by van, easy-bike and nosimon, and Basabari wholesale market will ring with the calls of farmers, commission agents and wholesalers.

Sub-assistant agriculture officer Asit Kumar Mondal said: "We motivate farmers to grow mukhi kachu and advise them regularly, so cultivation is increasing. The crop will start coming in fully within the next 10 to 15 days. Within Nizampur union, the largest area, 50 hectares, is in my block."

Sharsha upazila agriculture officer Pratap Kumar Mondal said: "There are no field demonstrations for mukhi kachu, but the upazila agriculture department will give farmers technical support. The government does not always provide everything; whatever it provides, we pass on to farmers."

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