A number of char people have changed their luck through sweet potato cultivation on the vast areas of high land across the riverside and char areas in three upazilas in the Narsingdi district during the last few years, reports BSS.
Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Narsingdi Muksed Ali said sweet potato farming has become popular in the char areas as it has changed the socio-economic condition of hundreds of poor people living in these areas.
Because of lesser farming cost, excellent market price and huge demand, the char people and farmers have been expanding sweet potato cultivation every year.
According to DAE sources, farmers of the char areas have cultivated about 2,000 acres of land in the district during the last Rabi season.
Muksed Ali said sweet potato is a very nutritious food and it can be used as an alternative staple food. Since it is an organic and sustainable crop it can be easily preserved for a period of six months to one year.
He said with minimum financial cost, the farmers can easily harvest 500-600 mounds of sweet potato that are worth about Tk100,000 per acre.
Most of the farmers termed sweet potato cultivation a more profitable one.
Farmer Abdul Ali of Alokbali union in the sadar upazila said he changed his fortune through farming sweet potato on the char lands. He had long been cultivating sweet potatoes, and by selling the sweet potatoes he earned a good profit each year.
Like Abdul Ali, many farmers in Raipura, Sadar and Belabo upazilas told their success stories about changing their fate by cultivating sweet potato.
