Peanuts a blessing for char farmers along Brahmaputra river

The biggest peanut market in Rangpur is almost never found on the same spot two years in a row due to the changing waters of Brahmaputra river in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram.

The market is always established next to a boat base that also changes location each year based on the river's height and due to low water levels this year, both were set up in Faluar Char. Last year, the symbiotic businesses were set up in Jorgachh Char.

Local farmers told The Daily Star that they benefit greatly by setting up the market with the boat base each year, making it easier for wholesalers from different parts of the country to come buy their produce at fair prices.

Otherwise, growers face much hardship when carrying whole harvests from the river's sandy banks into the mainland.

In fiscal 2019-20, peanuts were farmed on about 81,000 acres of land in the region to produce 61,000 tonnes of the legume crop, which is mainly used for its edible seed which can also be processed into edible oil.

However, peanut cultivation seems to be on the decline in the region as the crop was cultivated on 94,000 acres of land to produce 67,000 tonnes of the crop in fiscal 2017-18, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Zahurul Islam, a local peanut trader, told The Daily Star that the riverside market opens twice a week with about 150 to 200 tonnes of the crop being sold each day.

"We buy each maund (about 37 kilogrammes) of peanuts from farmers at Tk 3,200 to Tk 4,000," he said.

People who come to buy the peanuts in large quanitites are able to ship the crop to their preferred destinations either by boat or truch, Islam added.

Fellow peanut trader Nabiul Islam told this correspondent that in order to ensure the safety of buyers and sellers, police regularly patrol the area to prevent any untoward incident.

He went on to say that this year, farmers have sold him about 30 tonnes of peanuts so far.

The market season began in the first week of January and will continue until the first week of March, he added.

Shafiqul Sarkar, a peanut seller based in Dhaka, said he comes to the market alongside Brahmaputra River every year.

So far, he has purchased about 100 tonnes of the crop from various local farmers and traders.

"I take shipments out of the char area on a horse-drawn carriage in order to deal with the area's sandy conditions," he said.

"After that, the nuts are loaded onto trucks that carry them into Dhaka," Sarkar added.

There are around 40,000 char farmers that grow peanuts along the Brahmaputra River, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Kurigram.

Peanuts are planted in mid-October and harvested from the last week of December till the first week of January. Char farmers get 12 to 15 maunds of the crop from each bigha of land at a cost of between Tk 8,000 to Tk 10,000.

Manjurul Haque, deputy director of the Kurigram DAE, said peanuts produced on the banks of Brahmaputra River are supplied to various parts of the country.

After harvesting the peanuts, the farmers plant various other crops such as maize, black cumin, chia seeds and sesame seeds, and wheat in the char land.

Char farmers are regularly advised and given technical support by DAE officials, Haque added.

Baktiar Hasan, a farmer of Faluar Char, told The Daily Star yields have been good this year and he expects good prices.

Hasan reaped 90 maunds of peanuts from seven bighas of land at a cost of about Tk 68,000 this year.

Peanut cultivation came as a blessing to the people living in char areas. By selling the produce, they are able to bring prosperity to their families.

"In addition, we do not have to suffer much to sell the crops as a market is set up in the char," he said.

A few years ago, farmers in the region had no idea about the seed, fertilisers and pesticides to use and so, yields were low, said Siddique Ali, a farmer in Char Karai Barisal.

Now though, yields are better than ever thanks to the use of modern techniques and materials.

"I produced 110 maunds of peanut from nine bighas of land at a cost of Tk 88,000," he said.

"I have sold peanuts worth Tk 3.85 lakh so far at Tk 3,500 per maund." Ali added.