Farmers in Magura experienced success in radish cultivation this year due to fair market price of the vegetable, which they could produce at nominal costs.
This year, the radish was cultivated in 210 hectares of land in the district, according to the district's Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office, compared to 120 hectares last year.
Shahidur Rahman Mollah, a radish farmer at Sadar upazila, cultivated the vegetables in 2 bigha of land.
“I have already sold radish worth Tk50,000 and hopefully will be able to sell Tk50,000 more,” he said.
Tapati Rani, another farmer from the district, said she cultivated on 3 bigha of land this year and expected Tk1.5 lakh after selling her produce.
“My production costs were very nominal,” said Rani, adding that the farmers there were being interested in cultivating radish because of its low production cost.
Tota Miah, a wholesaler at Magura highway kitchen market, said the production of radish was increasing day by day in the district.
“We are sending radish worth Tk15-20 lakh outside the district every day after meeting the local demand,” he said, adding that many farmers got self-sufficient by farming the white vegetable.
“The radish of Magura is large in size and it is tastier than those of any other districts, which is why the demand for Magura radish is higher,” said Korom Ali, another trader from Magura Puratan Bazar.
He said they were selling radish at Tk30-35 per kilogram.
Agriculturists believe that the soil of the area is very suitable for radish farming. If the farmers there get proper support from the agriculture department, production of the vegetable will increase further, they said.
“Radish farming has gained popularity in Magura as the product yield and earnings from its sales are very high,” said Shafiqur Rahman, executive director of Palli Prakriti, a local organization working on agriculture and the environment.
The production cost of this vegetable, on the other hand, was little, he added.
Magura DAE official Sohrab Hossain said that the department tried to provide all kinds of support to the farmers in radish farming.
“The govt body will always be beside the farmers,” he assured.