Bumper garlic yield, fair price delight Rangpur farmers

The bumper garlic yield and fair prices for the spicy crop have delighted farmers in the Rangpur agricultural region this year.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said a target of producing 29,366 tonnes of garlic was fixed from 3,551 hectares of land for the region during the recently concluded Rabi season.

However, farmers cultivated garlic on 3,369 hectares of land, less by only 182 hectares of land against the fixed farming target, in all five districts of the region.

"After completing harvest a couple of weeks ago, farmers achieved a bumper production of 27,606 tonnes of garlic at the average yield rate of 8.27 tonnes per hectare of land," said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Md Shafikul Islam.

To make the garlic cultivation programme successful, the DAE and other agriculture-related departments, institutions and organisations provided necessary support, training and latest technology to farmers and commercial banks provided easy-term agricultural loans.

"Following repeated bumper yields and good market prices of garlic in recent years, farmers are showing keen interest in expanding cultivation of the spicy crop across the region," said Islam. 

Talking to BSS, farmer Md Nur Islam of Char Paschim Mohipur village in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said he cultivated garlic in char land on the dried-up Teesta riverbed and got a bumper yield this year.

Farmers Isahaque Ali, Mohsin Ali, and Azizul Haque of different villages in Mominpur union of Rangpur Sadar upazila said they cultivated garlic on their croplands and got excellent output and better price this season.

Talking to BSS, Deputy Director at Burirhat Horticulture Centre in Rangpur of the DAE Agriculturist Dr Md Abu Sayem said farmers are showing more interest in farming garlic, adopting the zero tillage methods on the same land after harvesting Aman paddy.

Soil moisture in rice fields helps farmers sow garlic seeds and adopt zero tillage methods to save labor and irrigation costs, increase production and achieve more profits.

"The DAE and other agriculture-related organisations are working to popularize zero tillage methods among farmers to increase production of garlic and some other winter crops at reduced cost in the region," Sayem added. 

Retail vegetable trader Md Hafizur Rahman at Keranipara Kitchen Market in Rangpur city today told BSS that farmers are selling their locally produced garlic at rates between Tk3,200 and Tk5,400 per mound (every 40 kgs) to wholesalers. 

Wholesalers are selling locally produced garlic at rates between Tk3,600 and Tk5,600 per mound or Tk90 and Tk140 per kilogram (Kg) to retailers in the city.

"On the other hand, retailers are selling locally produced garlic at rates between Tk4,000 and Tk6,000 per mound or between Tk100 and Tk150 per kg on average, depending on the size and quality," Hafizur said.