The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has fixed a target of producing 51,407 tonnes of ginger from 3,640 hectares of land for Rangpur agriculture region during the current Kharif-1 season.
"Farmers are sowing ginger seeds and seedlings in full swing in their crop lands in all five districts of the region," said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Aftab Hossain.
After getting repeated bumper production and lucrative prices in recent years, enthusiastic farmers are expanding ginger cultivation in crop lands, homesteads and fallow lands every year.
"So far, farmers have already sown ginger seeds and seedlings in 928 hectares of land in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts of the region as the process continues," he said.
The DAE is providing training and latest technologies to farmers while commercial banks are providing easy-term agriculture loans to them for enhancing cultivation of ginger and other spicy crops.
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Obaidur Rahman Mandal said farming of ginger and other spicy crops is increasing every year following various pragmatic steps taken by the government.
"The government, through the DAE, is providing quality seeds and training to the farmers to enhance production of spicy crops ensuring proper crop ndiversification and utilising latest technologies to attain self-reliance on locally produced spicy crops," he said.
Farmers Nurul Amin, Manik Mian, Golam Mohammad and Farhad Hossain of different villages in Rangpur said they are sowing ginger seeds and seedlings in their crop lands as well as homesteads and fallow lands this season. Expressing happiness over the present market price of ginger, farmer Manik Mian said, "We are currently selling ginger cultivated during the last season at rates between Taka 150 to Taka 165 per kilogram to local ginger traders and wholesalers."
Retail vegetable trader Hafizur Rahman at City Bazar Market in Rangpur city said ginger price shoot up last week in the region following its huge demand now as seeds for sowing to cultivate the spicy crop during the Kharif-1 season.
"Currently, vegetable retailers are selling ginger at rates between Taka 200 and Taka 240 per kilogram in local markets after purchasing the same from wholesalers at rates between Taka 170 and Taka 200 per kilogram," he said.
Deputy Director at Burirhat Horticulture Centre in Rangpur of the DAE Agriculturist Abu Sayem lauded the government for taking pragmatic steps through the DAE and other organisations to increase production of spicy crops.
Production of ginger and other spicy crops could be increased largely by bringing fallow and barren lands and homesteads under farming of high yielding varieties of spicy crops like ginger and turmeric to attain self- reliance.
"Responding to the call of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to bring every inch of land under crop farming, farmers are cultivating spicy crops, including ginger, in more lands this time to further increase production for meeting the local demand," he added.
