RAJSHAHI Farmers, particularly the commercial ones, have started selling green tomatoes to get more money in the region, including its vast Barind area, for the last couple of days.
Many of the consumers are purchasing the newly harvested vegetable at exorbitant prices for its taste.
In the present wholesale markets, the hybrid variety green tomatoes are being sold at Taka 1,800 to 2,000 per mound while it's being sold at Taka 160 to
170 per kilogram in the retail markets.
Among other upazilas, Godagari is the pioneer for tomato farming and production as its topography is suitable for the cash crop farming.
Suitable climatic conditions and marketing systems have inclined the interests of the farmers to a greater extent.
Umme Salma, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said tomatoes were cultivated on 3,600 hectares of land, including 2,245 hectares in Godagari, in the district last year.
A lot of farmers have already changed their fortunes through tomato cultivation in the region as they earn between Taka 40,000 to Taka 50,000 by cultivating the popular cooking items on each bigha of land at a season.
She said hundreds of youth in Godagari upazila have become self-reliant by cultivating tomato.
Shamsul Alam, a wholesale vegetable trader at Shaheb Bazar, said trading of green tomatoes has been going on for the last couple of days. Some of the
traders are selling the vegetable in local markets and many others are supplying to different divisional cities, including the capital Dhaka.
Muhammad Raquib, 45, a farmer of Gogram village under Godagari upazila, said they have been cultivating tomatoes commercially for the last seven to eight years. At present, traders are purchasing the harvested crop from the farmersfield directly benefiting the farmers in many ways.
Imam Hossain, 38, a resident of Sonadighi village under the upazila, had reaped profit of around Taka 80,000 after cultivating the cash crop on seven katha of land last season. This year, he has cultivated 11,000 plants on around two and a half bighas of land. He's expecting to harvest cherished yield within the next couple of days.
"I'm hoping to get around three kilograms of tomato from each of the plants on an average," he said with a smiling face.
Abul Hossain, 45, another farmer of the same village, has brought one bigha of land under the tomato farming this year expecting a better yield and price.
Talking to BSS, he said the farmers spent around Taka 40,000 to Taka 50,000 for the cultivation of tomato on one bigha of land on an average and they get Taka 1.5 lakh as output.
"I've earned a profit of around Taka 40,000 after farming tomatoes on five kathas of land last year," Monirul Islam, 35, another grower of Dhamila village, said, adding that he has cultivated the crop on 18 kathas of land this year.
Mahmudul Faruque, additional director of the DAE, said tomato farming is gaining popularity in the region, particularly in the vast tract of Barind area, since its cultivation is profitable here.
Cultivation of the cash crop has increased by five to six times during the last 15 to 20 years due to the introduction of high-yielding and hybrid varieties of tomatoes and modern technology.
In the current season, the cash crop has brought smiles on the faces of the farmers as they are getting expected yield and market price since the very beginning of the harvesting period.
The tomatoes produced without chemicals are being sent to different districts including the capital [Dhaka] after meeting the local demands.
Mahmudul Faruque said more than one lakh families in the region are now getting direct financial benefit from either cultivating tomato or its trading.
