Desk Report: The harvesting of groundnut, one of the important cash crops of the vast char people of the district, has started in full swing with the rising of two big river's -- Padma and Jamuna -- water as most of the groundnut is cultivated on the dried-up riverbeds.

The farmers of the vast char areas of Daulatpur, Shibalaya and Harirampur upazilas of the district are expecting a bumper production of groundnut during the current Kharif-1 season.

The farmers of the areas had started to cultivate groundnut on the vast char areas from the beginning of the month of February with receding the water of two rivers, Padma and Jamuna-- and it continued up to the month of April.

The groundnut is generally cultivated on the sandy land, an official of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) here said, adding: "The sandy char areas of Daulatpur, Shibalaya and Harirampur are suitable for groundnut cultivation."

"Experimentally, some local farmers started cultivation of groundnut on their barren land which would remain fallow all over the year in the char areas for the last few years", locals said. Seeing their success, a good number of farmers are now cultivating groundnut in the vast char areas of the Jamuna and the Padma rivers, they added.

The char farmers are getting fair prices of the crop between Taka 3,500 and 4,000 per mound as per its quality while it has high demand in the local markets.

The DAE office said they set a target of groundnut cultivation on 3,600 hectares of land in the chars of three upazilas of the district during the Kharif-1 season with a production target of 7,560 metric tones groundnut in the district.

Rifazuddin, one of the groundnut cultivators of Char Kalikapur village under Baghutia union of Daulatpur upazila, said he has cultivated groundnut on two bighas of land this season and is expecting a good production.

Md Haidar Ali, another groundnut cultivator of Azimnagar village Harirampur upazila, said groundnut cultivation is gaining popularity in the char areas as it grows in the sandy barren land and it needs no irrigation and fertilizer.
 
"Now the groundnut has become one of the important cash crops for the char people here," he said, adding that groundnut is cultivated twice --winter and summer seasons in one year.

The sources said that the cultivators are getting opportunities to sell their crops at the nearest markets and even at their homes as a good number of buyers regularly visit the areas for searching the crops.

The sources said DAE had fixed a target of groundnut cultivation on 3600 hectares of land, but it was cultivated on 3,650 hectares of land exceeding its target.

Abu Mohammad Enayet Ullah, deputy director of the DAE, said the sandy land of char areas is suitable for groundnut cultivation which is gaining popularity in the aforesaid three upazilas of the district day by day.

Groundnut cultivation is changing the fortune and lifestyle of the char people in the district, he added.

Biniyougbarta/JH/SAM//