RANGPUR, March 5, 2023 (BSS) – Experts at a farmers' field day function have stressed on expanding cultivation of new varieties of nutritious potatoes to enhance production and export for earning more foreign exchequer and benefiting farmers.
 
They viewed this at the event titled ‘Multi-location trials of new varieties of potatoes imported by BADC’ held at exhibition plots in village Rashidpur of Mithapukur upazila here on Saturday.
 
Office of the Deputy Director (Tuber Crops) of Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), Rangpur organised the event funded by the Quality Seed Potato Production, Preservation and Distribution to the Farmers Enhancement Project.
 
Farmers, potato exporters, seed dealers and agriculturists participated in the function arranged for extension of new varieties of potato and enhance export to ensure fair price and make agriculture commercial and smarter.
 
Cultivation technologies of new varieties of potatoes like BADC potato 1 (Sunshine), Santana, Queen Anne, Alouette, Carulus, Rashida, Labella, 7 four 7, Asterix, Diamond, Donata, Edison, Fontaine, Alkandar, BARI Alu 37, 40, 41, 47, 62 and 79 were demonstrated in the plots.
 
Joint Director of BADC AFM Saiful Islam attended the function as the chief guest with Deputy Director (Vegetable Seed) of BADC, Rangpur Nirmallaya Kumar Das in the chair.
 
District Training Officer of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Rangpur Md. Enamul Haque, District Seed Certification Officer Md. Khorshed Alam, Deputy Director (Seed Marketing) of BADC, Rangpur region Md. Masud Sultan, its Deputy Director (Quality Control) Md. Asaduzzaman Khan and Deputy Director at Burirhat Horticulture Centre, Rangpur of DAE Abu Sayem were present.
 
While visiting the exhibition plots of new potato varieties, Deputy Director (Tuber Crops) of BADC, Rangpur Md. Abdul Hye said around 110 million tonnes of potatoes are being produced annually in Bangladesh.
 
“We produce 30 million tonnes of surplus potato after meeting our annual national demand of 80 million tonnes. Most of the surplus potatoes remain unsold, leaving farmers vulnerable,” he said.
 
Therefore, the government through BADC is advising and encouraging farmers to produce new varieties of potatoes to enhance export and process potatoes locally so that the surplus potatoes do not remain unsold.
 
Potatoes of these new varieties demonstrated in the exhibition plots are of different colors, high yielding and more resistant to diseases with an increasing demand in the national and international markets.
 
“We are conducting such field day events to test performance of new potato varieties to assist farmers understand which varieties they can grow to get higher yield and profit and the nation can earn huge foreign exchange by exporting the surplus produce,” Hye said.
 
The chief guest expressed satisfaction over the higher yield rates of the new varieties of big-sized potatoes and urged farmers to expand cultivation of these varieties to further increase production and reap more profits alongside enhancing export.