Jamuna chars turn green with peanuts
Farmers in the char areas of the Jamuna river in Tangail's Bhuapur upazila are passing busy time cultivating peanuts on the raised lands after receding of floodwater.
Peanuts have a strong nutritional profile. They are an excellent source of plant-based protein, fiber as well as minerals, experts say.
The farmers also use the fresh leaves of peanuts as a nutritious livestock feed.
The sandy lands in Jamuna char areas -- Gabsara, Arjuna, Govindasi and Nikrail unions -- of the upazila are very suitable for peanut cultivation.
Peanuts have been cultivated at different char villages including Rampur, Nalchhia, Govindapur, Shushua, Bhadrashimul, Basudevkol, Kuthirboira, Saraipara, Jungipur, Rulipara, Beltiapara, Gabsara, Rehai Gabsara, Balarampur, Kalipur, Chituliapara and Khanurbari in the unions.
Local farmers, who incurred huge losses after being hit hard by the recent devastating and prolonged floods, are cultivating different crops, especially peanuts, for covering the losses.
The flood-hit farmers of the unions in the upazila have turned most of the sandy chars into productive land as vast tracts of land have been brought under peanut cultivation.
"We have suffered a lot due to the recent floods. We have cultivated peanuts for covering the loss," said farmer Mohammad Ali of Shushua.
Peanut is the most profitable among all crops cultivated on the sandy lands in the char areas of the Jamuna, he said
The crop is nutritious and there is no need for fertilizer, he added.
Farmer Saiful Islam of Gabsara said he has already cultivated peanuts on his seven bighas of land.
He hopes he will get a good yield like last year if the weather condition remains favourable.
Farmers can harvest the peanut within three months since they sowed the seeds, said Saiful.
Per maund of peanut can be sold in the local markets at Tk 2500 to Tk 3000, another grower Shamsul Islam of Jomer Boyra.
Several local farmers expressed their hope that they can cover the losses they incurred in this year's devastating floods if the market prices of peanuts remain good this season.
Al Mamun Russel, upazila agriculture officer in Bhuapur, said the sandy Jamuna char areas are very suitable for peanut cultivation.
Peanuts have been cultivated on 1,850 hectares of land this year, he said.
If the weather condition remains favourable, the target of peanut production will be exceeded this year than previous years, he added.
They have already prepared lists of 1,600 local peanut farmer families for distributing the government incentives among them, said the agriculture officer.
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