More than a hundred farmers in Putkhali, under Benapole Port police station in Jashore's Sharsha upazila, are profiting from sweet sugarcane. The border area is known for rice, jute, wheat, maize and vegetables, but with thin margins on those crops, farmers are turning to low-cost cane.
Upazila agriculture officer Dipak Kumar Saha said about 47 hectares of sugarcane were planted in the upazila this year, most of it in Putkhali, and the yield is good. The varieties grown include Gandari, Lipstick Sundari, China Lal Sundari and Ishwardi-16, and demand for them is rising.
Farmers reckon a bigha of cane costs about Tk 30,000 to 40,000 to grow and can earn Tk 1.5 lakh to 2 lakh with a good crop. They also grow short-duration vegetables between the cane as a companion crop. In Putkhali village alone, more than a hundred farmers are now growing it.
Makeshift roadside markets have sprung up around the cane trade. From morning to afternoon cane is sold off vans, and some vendors have fitted crushers to their vans to sell fresh juice. Buyers come straight to the fields from far away, and wholesalers from Bagerhat, Sylhet, Dhaka, Chattogram and other districts load up at the gardens.
Local farmer Arman Hossain said the success of cane was encouraging many others to try it. Abdus Shukur, a trader from Navaron, said he buys in Putkhali because demand and margins are high. The agriculture office is advising farmers in the field and expects the area under cane to grow next year.
This report is based on information from Krishi Shomoy's Jashore correspondent.
Photo: Steve Evans / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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