Cultivation of arum in this country, bestowed with a long monsoon season, is becoming popular because of its low investment, high yield and big profit.
Farmers in Jhenidah district are harvesting a bumper yield this season. And Latiraj, a variety of arum, is grown in plenty helping farmers to change their lot.
The good harvest has been attributed to wet soil, favourable weather and support from the local agriculture offices in upazila.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenidah, over 100 acres of land were brought under arum cultivation this year in six upazilas of the district.
Thandu Mandol, a farmer of Ragunathpur village in Kaliganj upazila, said cultivation of Latiraj variety is gaining popularity among the
farmers. This arum is cultivated in the first week of January and its harvesting starts in the middle of March, then again it is cultivated in the first week of April and its harvesting starts in the middle of July.
He also said one can cultivate latiraj on one bigha of land spending only Tk 2,000 to Tk 2,500 and earn Tk 25,000 to Tk 30,000.
He harvests 200 kilograms of latiraj a week. Its market price is Tk 22 to Tk 25 per kilogram. This gives him an earning of Tk 5,000 to Tk 5, 500 per week.
Rofzel Hossain of Chutlia village in Sadar upazila said farmers are gaining by cultivating latiraj arum in Jhenidah because it takes short time to get maturity.
Deputy director of DAE, Jhenidah Shah Md Akramul Haque said the government provides the farmers with training, agro-inputs and
easy farm loans. The DAE has motivated the farmers to use organic fertiliser in their land before arum cultivation.