The farmers of six Jashore regional districts have been cultivation garlic on a total of 6,342 hectares of land to produce 58,883 tonnes of the spicy crop in the season with a view to reap 10.18 tones on each hectare on an average. The farmers of the region had produced 59,365 tonnes of garlic on their 7,640 hectares of land in the last season. They achieved 9.26 tonnes on each hectare on an average, said the office sources of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jashore.
Farmers Mohammad Ali, Kalikrishna Biswas and Sarwar Hossain of Langalbandh in Shailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah said they have been cultivating garlic on additional 20 percent land in the season as they had reaped better in yield and price from the last season’s production. Other neighboring farmers have been cultivating the crop on additional lands this season, they said.
Office sources of the additional director of the DAE in Jashore region said they had set target to produce 58,883 tonnes of garlic on a total of 6,342 hectares of land in six regional districts in the season to produce 10.18 tonnes of the crop on each hectare on an average. District wise target for garlic farming was 600 hectares in Jashore, 2,507 hectares in Jhenaidah, 955 hectares in Magura, 1,500 hectares in Kushtia, 255 hectares in Chuadanga and remaining 525 hectares of land in Meherpur. Although the farmers had already started harvesting the same since late February, it is expected to be completed by mid-April, they said.
DAE additional director (AD) at Jashore regional office Abu Hossain when contacted said the farmers brought additional 20 percent of the lands under garlic framing when they had witnessed satisfactory higher prices in past months. They might reap better in the coming season from the crop as it has a great demand throughout the country round the year. DAE field level sub assistant agriculture officers, better known as SAAOs and district and upazila level officials in the region were advised to stand by the farmers at their any need to make the garlic farming profitable, DAE AD said.