The yield of nutritious vegetable carrot is increasing day by day in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district. Farmers are also benefiting from mass cultivation of this vegetable. Officials of the agriculture department and farmers have expressed the view that farmers would have benefited more if there were vegetable and fruit storage facilities.
Farmers in the area are selling nutritious carrots planted in the flat lands of different unions of the upazila in the local markets as well as in different districts of the country including the capital Dhaka. The carrot farmers in Pabna are hoping to get good yield and price as the weather is good.
According to the Upazila Agriculture Officer's Office, carrots are being planted in the flat lands of the upazila. The soil quality in Pabna region is very suitable for carrot cultivation. Carrot cultivation is increasing here every year. Carrots are being planted in 690 acres of land in Ishwardi upazila this year. Carrot cultivation is increasing every year due to demand and good prices. Of the seven unions of the upazila, Ladhikunda, Sahapur and Salimpur unions have the highest carrot cultivation. Of the remaining four unions, Pakshi, Dashuria, Muladuli and Sandha have comparatively less cultivation.
Talking to some farmers, it is known that carrots are planted on the same land in two phases during the season. Carrot planting starts at the end of fall season. At the end of three months of planting, the carrots become ready to be harvested. The traders buy carrots while they are in the field. One bigha of land can produce 100 to 120 mounds of carrots. The price of carrots per bigha varies from one lakh to one lakh 20 thousand Tk.
According to the farmers, wholesale traders from different districts of the country, including the capital Dhaka, from Ladhikunda, Sahapur and Salimpur bought carrots by truck. Ashraful Islam, a carrot farmer from Ladhikunda Union, said he has planted carrots on 9 bighas of land this year. Ashraful has spent a total of Tk 5 lakh 40 thousand to plant carrots in this 9 bighas of land with rent, seeds, fertilizer and labor cost. He also sold carrots to a trader as soon as he had the land. The price is 6 lakh 15 thousand Tk. His profit has been one lakh 75 thousand Tk. He said that he makes good profit by planting carrots every year. He will start planting wheat in this 9 bighas of land in next few days. In this way, many like Ashraful Islam are benefiting by planting carrots.
Farmer Shahin Sardar of Mahadevpur village in Sahapur Union has planted carrots in 15 bighas of land this time as the profit is high. Last time he planted carrots in 9 bighas of land. He is inclined to cultivate carrots as he gets good prices. He said it cost him Tk 6 lakh to plant carrots on 15 bighas of land. And by selling it you will get a price of 7 lakh Tk. His profit will be one and a half lakh Tk. Shaheen Sardar said that since there is no system for storing vegetables in Ishwardi, many types of vegetables have to be sold from the land. If these were stored for some time, farmers in the area would get a higher price. He demanded the establishment of a vegetable warehouse at Ishwardi.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Krishibid Mita Sarkar said carrot cultivation is increasing every year in Ishwardi as it is a profitable and nutritious vegetable. Carrots are being planted in 790 acres of land in the upazila this year. Rabi season is the season full of carrots from August to January. Due to its potential and profitability, the cultivation of carrots is increasing in the sandy soil here. Farmers are also benefiting by planting beans, eggplants, gourds, spinach, squid, turnips and paddy as well as carrots. In most parts of the country, the demand for vegetables is being met from Ishwardi. Responding to a question, the agriculture official said the establishment of a vegetable and fruit storage facility at Ishwardi has become urgent for the development of agriculture and farmers.