Tomato production generates income of Kishoreganj farmers

Sr. Staff Reporter, Kishoreganj :

Tomato is the second most widely grown vegetable in the world after potatoes.
Tomato cultivation is a major part of the vegetable production in Bangladesh. Tomatoes are grown in all parts of the country, and a popular cash crop for farmers.
Tomato is a very nutrition vegetable.
Tomato cultivation has increased in various upazilas of Kishoreganj. Cultivating tomatoes and bitter gourd on the same land has been a hit among farmers as it is more profitable. It costs about Tk. 70 000 to cultivate one bigha of land in this method.
Farmers can earn about Tk. 3 lakh per season excluding expenses.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), once tomatoes were only a winter crop. Now they are produced all year round. Agri Scientists have now developed summer tomato varieties through gene culture. The amount of land for tomatoes is very less in summer. Production is also less at this time.
Last Saturday when some reporters went to Ramnagar village in Joyka union of Karimganj upazila, it was seen that many farmers have cultivated tomatoes on their land this time. The yield has also been good. Some trees have 30 tomatoes hanging on a single branch.
Some farmers have cultivated bitter gourd along with tomatoes in their land. Due to this, bitter gourd is growing on the same land and raw and ripe tomatoes are growing below.
Local farmer Hanif Miah said that he has been engaged in agricultural work for three years after his father died. He has cultivated ‘Saj’ variety tomatoes on one bigha of land. He can harvest at least 20 maunds of tomatoes every two to three days. He hopes to sell at least 500 maunds of tomatoes in the entire season. Currently, he is selling them at Tk. 50 per kg. The price drops towards the end of the season. At that time, he has to sell them at Tk.15 to Tk 20 per kg.
Hanif also said that he has built a loft on the tomato garden and raised bitter gourd seedlings on it. It will take a few more days to harvest the crop. He has spent Tk 70,000 on tomato and bitter gourd cultivation. He expects to make a profit of Tk 3 lakh after deducting the expenses. He also said that no other crop yields so much profit.
Naeem Mia, a farmer from the same village, said that this time he has cultivated tomatoes and bitter gourd on 10 percent of his land. The yield is good. Farmers are benefiting from cultivating this method.
Deputy Director, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Kishorganj, Abul Kalam said that tomatoes have been cultivated on 820 hectares of land in 13 upazilas of Kishoreganj this time. Of this, 120 hectares of land have been cultivated in Karimganj. Tomato and bitter gourd cultivation is very profitable for farmers.”