Photo : Messenger
From a distance it looks like a garden of white myrrh flowers. Going closer, it was not a flower garden, but cotton coming out of the bud. That cotton is collected and dried in Chatal. After that, it will go directly to the factory in bags, from where surgical gauze-bandage will be made.
Nilphamari farmer ABM Golam Mustafa has been cultivating hybrid cotton for the second time, which has caught everyone's attention in Tupir Mor area of Nilphamari Municipality.
Local farmers are showing interest in this particular variety of cotton cultivation for the next season due to low cost and high profit.
Zakir Hossain, a farmer of that area, told The Daily Messenger that many lands in Nilphamari remain almost always idle. “Now I see cotton cultivation in the lands that I own. I also want to expand cotton cultivation in the future.”
Local resident Surbhi Akhter told The Daily Messenger that the land was fallow earlier. “Everyone in the area used to play sports here. But those who own the land took the initiative to cultivate cotton. We have not seen this cotton cultivation before. Good to see my cotton cultivation. And many people gather to see the cotton cultivation here.”
Cotton drying worker Atiqur Rahman told The Daily Messenger that each tree has 65 to 70 fruits. “We pick the fruits when they are ripe. Then the cotton is brought to Chatal. After drying in Chatal, it will be sent in sacks to the company in Taraganj.”
Golam Mostafa cultivated cotton on one and a half bigha land with the help of a company in Taraganj of Rangpur last year. After reaping success in cotton cultivation for the first time, this time he cultivated cotton on three bigha lands. He is expecting more yield this time compared to the first time.
Cotton farmer ABM Golam Mostafa told The Daily Messenger last year, “I cultivated cotton on one and a half bigha land and got 18 maunds of cotton. If the market price is 8000 taka, it is 72000 taka and the cost is 35000 taka. This time I cultivated cotton in three bigha lands. It requires little fertilizer, irrigation and pesticides. This insecticide has to be sprayed 5 to 6 times. This time my yield will be more than last year. Then I can cultivate four to five bighas of land.”
This cotton will not cover the mattress. It will be used to make hospital surgical gauze-bandages and clothes. This land was mine. And cotton is also called white gold, he added, “I cultivated white gold in the fallow land.”
Meanwhile, the agriculture department assured all kinds of cooperation to increase the cotton plantation.
Nilphamari Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Atiq Ahmed told The Daily Messenger that cotton is one of the most profitable crops.
“A farmer has cultivated cotton for the second time in Nilphamari Sadar Upazila. Our Nilphamari soil is suitable for cotton cultivation. If a farmer wants to cultivate cotton, then we will provide all the technical skills. Many farmers are interested in seeing the cotton grown in the municipal area. We expect cotton cultivation to increase like other crops.”
At present, various types of hybrid varieties of cotton have added a new chapter to cotton cultivation across the country. Cotton can be grown easily on high, well-drained and irrigated land. Considering the demand and requirements of cotton, it is also called white gold.
Messenger/Fameema
