MANIKGANJ, Feb 29, 2024 (BSS) - The harvesting of Blackgram (Maskolai) ended in all the seven upazilas of the district with excellent production during the current season, officials said.

Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) sources said a total of 6812 hectares of land was brought under black gram cultivation with a production target of 7,048 metric tons of pulse during the current season.
 
The DAE officials and farmers said the vast char areas of Harirampur upazila, Shibalaya upazila and Daulatpur upazila had remained uncultivated for its sandy soil. But a few farmers started to cultivate black gram on a small scale this time.
 
Now the black gram is one of the important cash crops and food items of the people, the sources said.

Selim Mollah, 50, of village Paruria under Daulatpur upazila said he had cultivated black-gram on three bighas of land this year and completed harvest.
 
He said black gram is one of the tasty and delicious food items of the char people, adding that "we are happy to get the reasonable prices of our product this year".

The government had distributed seeds and fertilizers among 3850 poor and marginal farmers free of cost for boosting the black-gram cultivation in all the seven upazilas of the district.
 
Abu Mohammad Enayet Ullah, Deputy Director (DD) of the DAE, said the land of Manikganj specially three upazilas of the district is suitable for black gram cultivation and the farmers of the areas cultivate this pulse as one of the cash crops and food stuff as well.

After black-gram harvesting, most of the land is now being prepared for maize cultivation.