Good yield brings smile to summer tomato farmers

Expected yield of summer tomato coupled with its good prices brings smile to the farmers in the district this season, especially against the backdrop of losses last year.
Farmers cultivated summer tomato on around 2,000 hectares of land in the district this year, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur.
Of it, 1375 hectares of land is in Dinajpur Sadar upazila although it was 1,500 hectares last year.
The cultivation area declined as the summer tomato farmers incurred loss last season, said Motlubar Rahman, agriculture officer of Dinajpur Sadar upazila.
However, the market prices are high this season and the farmers would get good profit, he said, adding that the DAE is expecting 4.5 tonnes of yield from a hectare as weather is favourable.
During a visit to a tomato market at Gabura in Dinajpur Sadar upazila on Sunday, this correspondent found huge supply of tomato there and buyers from across the country were busy purchasing the popular vegetable.
Traders said 60 to 80 trucks loaded with tomatoes daily leave for other areas of the country.
Growers said this year they are getting fare price of their produce.
A maund of tomato is selling for Tk 900 to Tk 1100, depending on quality and shape.
"I got around 120 maunds of tomato from each bigha this year while it was only 70 to 80 maunds last year. I have cultivated tomato on five bighas of land and hope to earn Tk 1.5 lakh," said Md Afzal Hossain, a farmer of Kishanbazar area in Dinajpur Sadar upazila.