Our Correspondent

NILPHAMARI, Jan 28: Early variety potato growers are gaining a huge profit this year in Nilphamari district as price of potato still remains high in the markets here. The peak hour of harvesting is yet to come and it would take another month or so. Potato is now being sold in the retail markets at a price of Tk 18 to 20 per kg.

While contacted Md. Alam a potato grower of Itakhola UP of sadar upazilla said that he cultivated only one bigha (30 decimal) early cultivable granula variety potato which he planted in the first week of the Bengali month of Kartik. He harvested 50 manuds of potato which he sold at an amount of Tk 50,000 whereas his expenditure was only Tk 10,000.

Sources said early variety potato harvesting has almost been completed. Potato planted in the Bengali month of Agrahawan and Poush are to be harvested in the month of Falgun and Chairtra.

DEA sources said this year's potato cultivation target in the district is in 18,994 hectares of land and the production target is 3,62,785 metric tonnes having per hectares average production of 19.9 metric tonnes.