Garlic cultivation is increasing due to good prices in the market

Farmers of Chalanbil including Gurdaspur in Natore are busy cultivating garlic without their own inventions. In the current season, local farmers have started planting garlic, a spice crop known as white gold, at a large rate in the hope of more profit. Farmers are interested because the price of garlic is good in the market.

Various areas of Chalanbil including Gurdaspur have been visited, the farming families have become active around garlic cultivation. Farmers, or the women employed by them, are busy removing the coa from the garlic. The teenagers of the house are not left out. Most families employ village women to crush garlic. For this reason, the wage for breaking garlic is 250 to 300 taka. It takes two days to break a clove of garlic. Along with the land preparation, garlic planting activities are going on.

Talking to the farmers, it is known that due to the increase in the price of agricultural inputs, seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, irrigation, weeding, and labor, garlic cultivation is spending 7 to 8 thousand rupees per bigha this year compared to last year. However, the farmers are still keeping this plantation as they are making some profit by cultivating watermelon and bangi, the companion crops of garlic. Dharabarisha, Kachikata, Hansmari, Dari Hansmari, Shidhuli, Charkadah, Mashinda of Gurdaspur upazila, Bajitpur, Mariya, Ikri, Jalshuka, Taranagar, Srirampur, Manikpur, Chakpara, Raina Bharat, Mamudpur, Raina, Rolva, Khaksa, Charikol, Naogaon of Tarash, Talam, Baruhas, Saguna, Desigram, Madhainagar, Maguravinod union in various villages of Chaikola, Katenga, Kokragadi, Dhankunia, Langalmora, Bardanagar, Dhulauri, Boalmari, Gaurnagar, Binyabari, Nimaichra area of ​​Chatmohar upazila.

Afzal Hossain, a farmer of Dharabarisha village of Gurdaspur upazila, said that this year he cultivated garlic on 6 bigha land. 25 thousand rupees were spent on seeds, fertilizers and pesticides per bigha. 13,000 rupees were spent on labor including planting and harvesting garlic. It cost him a total of 32 to 35 thousand rupees per bigha. However, he has planted Bangi on 6 bigha land as a companion crop to garlic. If the weather is favourable, you can earn 25 to 30 thousand taka per bigha excluding the cost of production.

Rahmat Ali, a farmer of Patpara village in the same upazila, said that he has cultivated garlic on 5 bigha barga (lease) this year. The cost of garlic cultivation has increased by 7 to 8 thousand rupees per bigha this year compared to last year. He cultivated garlic by taking interest of lakhs of rupees from the society (NGO) without getting any means.

Chalanbil garlic farmers Alamgir Hossain, Chalim Uddin, Kaushar Hossain and Ariful Islam and several others said that ‘uncultivated garlic’ cultivation has started in Chalanbil area for about 23 years. This year, they are planting garlic in the land by taking loan as the price of garlic is good in the market. If they do not get the expected price, they will have to sit on the road.

According to the sources of Gurdaspur Upazila Directorate of Agriculture, farmer Bimal of Sidhuli village of Gurdaspur Upazila started cultivating garlic experimentally in 2000. Get good yield and price. The next year he made more profit by cultivating garlic commercially on 8 bighas of land. It was through his path that the cultivation of garlic in Binhal spread to Gurdaspur, Singra, Baraigram, Tarash, Chatmohar and many other upazilas of Chalanbil. Nowadays, this method of garlic cultivation has become quite popular.

Gurdaspur Upazila Agriculture Officer Harunor Rashid said, Gurdaspur Upazila has set a target of 5,300 hectares of garlic planting this year.

He also said that garlic is produced at the rate of 25-30 maunds in Pratibigha land. Farmers benefited a lot even after excluding the cost. Because watermelon and bangi are cultivated on the same land. For this, the farmers of Chalanbil planted garlic in Binahal.

Deputy director of NATO’s agricultural extension directorate. Abdul Wadud said, last year, the target of planting garlic on 22 thousand 300 hectares of land was set in the bill. Compared to last year, more garlic is being cultivated than the target in the current year. Moreover, the largest garlic cultivation in Bangladesh is in Gurdaspur, Baraigram, Tarash, Chatmohar and some parts of Singra in Chalanbil. The Department of Agricultural Extension is providing necessary agricultural advice and fertilizers to the farmers.

Nineties/Fi