Sugarcane has yielded well across Sirajganj this season. Many farmers are crushing their cane and boiling it into jaggery for a bigger return, and the first jaggery of the winter is already on sale in local markets.
The district's nine upazilas set a target of about 10,000 hectares of cane this year. Improved varieties including ISD 41, 42 and 43, Iri and Bon were planted as three-bud setts on high loam land, and ratoon cane from three- to four-year-old stools is also being harvested at lower cost. Belkuchi, Kazipur, Raiganj, Kamarkhanda and Sadar, together with the char areas, have the largest plantings.
Abdur Razzak and Anwar Hossain of Parpanchil village on the Jamuna grew cane on seven bighas this year, most of it ratoon. They have started crushing and making jaggery and, with prices good, expect a large profit.
A dima (three poa) of jaggery now sells for Tk 100 to 120 on average, and pure jaggery for Tk 200 to 250 a kilo. Many farmers are selling a bigha of standing cane for Tk 40,000 to 50,000. In the towns, raw cane is sold from vans and machine-pressed juice goes for Tk 10 to 20 a glass.
Because returns are well above production costs, farmers say the area under cane in the district grows every year.
Zerin Ahmed, additional deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, said the yield was very good this year and farmers had been advised in the field. Crushing has only just begun and will run at full pace through the winter.
Reporting: Sirajganj correspondent, Krishi Shomoy
Photo: Bhaskaranaidu / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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