OUR CORRESPONDENT
MANGALDAI: Over a hundred farmers in Darrang district's Roumari Panchayat's Chapari area, who cultivated high-yielding pumpkins, are facing huge losses. The farmers, from villages like Gorukhuti, Kaniatari, Ghatar aag, Borachuba, Debananda, and Satkhali, had bought the W-137 F1 variety of high-yielding seeds from the seed dealers of Kharupetia and cultivated pumpkin on 10-12 thousand bighas of land. However, the production has decreased to an average of 10-12% compared to previous years.
According to Gobinda Deka, a progressive farmer from Debananda village, who received a state-level award from the Agriculture Department, last year the area produced an average of 35-40 quintals per bigha, and the pumpkin from this area dominated the markets in Assam and neighbouring states like West Bengal. Farmers used to earn a profit of Rs 20-25 thousand per bigha.
However, this year, the production has decreased to 5-6 quintals per bigha, resulting in huge losses for the farmers. Despite the Chief Minister's appreciation for the area's pumpkin cultivation, the farmers are struggling to make a profit. Even after the harvest season is over, they are struggling to sell their meagre produce in the market.
The farmers informed the local agriculture department about the issue, and recently, officials from the Agriculture Department and Krishi Vigyan Kendra visited the area, collected soil and seed samples, and sent them to the state laboratory for analysis. However, the results have not been shared with the farmers yet.
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