Brinjals bring smile for Faridpur farmers

The farmers of Sadarpur upazila are enjoying brinjal farming as it has turned out to be more profitable than many other traditional vegetables.

The farmers are cultivating brinjal, also known as eggplant, in their lands as this summer crop not only helps meet their demand but also brings them money, according to officials at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).

This year around 290 hectares of land have been brought under brinjal cultivation while it was 250 hectares last year, the DAE officials said.

Farmers of Shouldubi, Math Shouldubi, Abuler intersection, Badhanoghat areas under Krishnapur union of Sadarpur upaizla have been cultivating brinjal for the last 15 years as it has been more profitable than other crops.

During a recent visit to the upazila, the UNB correspondent found that a vast track of lands has been brought under eggplant farming in the upazila.

Usually, they cultivate different varieties of eggplant, including BP Hybrid, Sinduri, White and Lafe.

Abul Bashar, a farmer of Shouldubi village, said he has been cultivating brinjal after taking 40 decimals of land on lease for Tk 20,000 for three years and he brought solvency to his family after farming the summertime vegetable.

Jamal Uddin, another farmer, said he cultivated brinjal on his 10 kathas of land.

As less water is needed for brinjal farming than boro’s, more and more farmers are showing interest in brinjal farming, said Jamal Uddin of Badhanoghat in the upazila, who has been farming brinjal on his 10 Kathas of land.

“Also, the costs of fertilizer and labour are less and it gives us more profit compared to other vegetables,” he told UNB.

A farmer needs Tk 40,000 to 50,000 for cultivating brinjal in one bigha of land from where they can yield around 120 to 150 maunds of brinjal.

Hafiz Matubbar, Jalil Pramanik, Kalam Paramanik and some other farmers said this summer vegetable starts blooming and continues to bloom for around six months within one month of planting.

Farmers can harvest eggplants twice a week, he said adding that the current market price of this crop is Tk 800 to Tk 1000 per mound.

Kartik Chakraborty, deputy director of Faridpur DAE, said, “We provide advices and suggestions to the farmers about brinjal farming and our staff keep visiting the field regularly.”

Kazi Shafiqul Islam, chairman of Sadarpur upazila, said the brinjal of Shoiladubi area is famous.

“The farmers of this area don’t have to go to the market to sell their product as the wholesale traders directly buy it from the land,” he said.

Amzad Hossain, a trader, said they purchased eggplant from Sadarpur upazila and supply it to Karwan Bazar, Shyambazar, Jatrabari, Dohar in Dhaka, and Narisha, Kartikpur, Sreenagar, Madaripur, Barishal, Khulna, Satkhira and other districts.

He said they sell eggplant at Tk 1,200-1,500 per maund.