A number of chars of the River Jamuna in Dewangonj upazila of Jamalpur have produced onion, bringing smiles to hundreds of farmers in the upazila.
Highly demandable crop onion has been cultivated on hundreds of acres of land on the banks of the Jamuna, which usually remained underwater during the monsoons.
In the previous years, these chars remained fallen, but this year, farmers decided to cultivate onions considering the crop’s increasing demand.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) upazila office, onion has been cultivated on 225 hectares of land in the upazila. Among them, about 100 hectares of land are located on the banks of the River Jamuna. Due to the favourable weather conditions, the yield has been also good.
These char lands remained barren for years but now around 20 to 25 maunds of onion are being produced from per bighas of land. Farmers are selling onions at Tk60,000 to Tk70,000 by spending only Tk7,000 to Tk8,000 in the current season.
Farmers said that the wholesale price of onion ranges from Tk3,200 to Tk3,500 per mound depending on the variety. Saju Mia, a resident of the Chukaibari union, said that he cultivated onions on 3300 decimals of land. Among them, he has sold production from 15 decimals at around Tk3600 per mound. From the next year, onions will be cultivated on hundred bighas of land on the chars of Jamuna, he hoped.
Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Mukul Mia said proper advice and support from the agriculture office has helped to increase onion production.
“The cost of onion production is quite low in the char areas as the onions are cultivated by spreading seeds while the yield is relatively good benefiting the farmers.”
Upazila Agriculture Officer Alamgir Azad said the right advice and cooperation from the agriculture department at the right time has resulted in a bumper yield of onions in the upazila. “Farmers are very happy due to the good prices, we have succeeded in utilising the fallow land of Jamuna. Onion cultivation will increase in these lands in the future.”