OUR CORRESPONDENT, Benapole

Rafikul Islam, a marginal farmer from Kushkhali village under Shalikha upazila of Magura, has found success in cultivating taro plants.

This year, he expects to earn nearly Tk 1 lakh selling his produce from 73 decimals of land. The yield turned out satisfactory this season, he said.

“Last year, unfavourable weather led to poor yield and I couldn’t make a profit. This year, I spent around Tk 60,000 on cultivating 73 decimals. I hope to sell taro stems worth Tk 80,000-90,000.”

“Taro requires plenty of water. If water is insufficient, the stems do not develop properly,” he noted.

Taro cultivation begins in the Bangla months of Baishakh and Jyaishtha after thoroughly preparing the land. Two months after planting, the saplings require regular irrigation. The crop grows best in clay-loam soil, Rafikul said.

“The crop is harvested towards the end of the Bangla month of Kartik. It is labour-intensive, since the crop must be dug out from beneath the mud and then cleaned thoroughly with water. Sometimes we struggle to find labourers because many do not want to work in the mud. The upper stems (loti) have to be separated, and then we sell both the corms and the stems,” he also said.

Rafikul added that he has not received any support from the agriculture department so far. “I do everything with my own effort. Only a few of us cultivate taro in the village. We sell the stems wholesale to traders in different markets of Magura. Sometimes buyers also come directly to us for purchase,” he said.

Mohammad Alamgir Hossain, deputy director (crops) of Department of Agricultural Extension in Magura, said there is limited cultivation of taro in the district. “However, we are trying to encourage farmers to take up this crop and provide necessary support,” he added.