Dinajpur Correspondent:

Potatoes produced in Birganj of the district are being exported to different countries including Malaysia across the globe.

Birganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Md. Shariful Islam said in the current

season, potatoes have been cultivated on 10,592 hectares of land in the

upazila which is 1,032 hectares more than the previous year.

Farmers in this region are experiencing satisfaction due to good yield of

potato and its higher export price.

Mainly, Sunshine and Kumarika varieties of potatoes are being exported in different countries across the world including Malaysia.

Potatoes are being purchased directly from marginal farmers and sent to various countries through processing. Currently, men and women here are busy sorting and packing potatoes.

The agriculture officer also said that 273 metric tons of potatoes have been exported from the upazila so far.

Faruk Hossain, a potato farmer from Mohammadpur union of the upazila, said, “This year, I cultivated Sunshine and Kumarika varieties of potatoes on five acres of land. It cost about Taka six lakh. I sold it for Taka 13 lakh.

However, I had to spend more on spray and pesticides on potatoes than last year. So the cost of cultivating potatoes this year has been a little higher.

Even then, I was able to sell the potatoes at a good price this year because those went abroad.”

Farmers Shahidul Islam and Abdur Razzak from Muraripur village in the upazila cultivated potatoes on seven and a half acres of land. Since the government has created an opportunity to export potatoes outside the country at the beginning of this month, they have benefited by selling potatoes at a good price.

Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Md. Afzal Hossain said farmers got bumper production of potato this year. As a result, measures were taken to export potatoes at the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture and Commerce.

Farmers have received the real value of their acquired potatoes as the

opportunity to export has been created, so they are quite happy. Along with this, interest in potato cultivation has also increased among the farmers, he added.