Kolkata, Feb. 3 -- The Horticulture department has decided to augment production of ginger in South Bengal in a bid to reduce dependency on stock coming from North Bengal.
The department has been successfully cultivating the same at Simlapal in Bankura. "We have been growing ginger in some parts of South Bengal for the last two-three years but the quality is no match to the 'Gorubathan' variety cultivated in North Bengal. We decided to launch a pilot project to find out if the same variety can be cultivated in the south. We identified one farmer (Utpal Mahapatra) for cultivating this variety. The seeds were sown before the onset of winter. We got 60 quintals of yield which is now selling like hot cakes," said Subhasis Batabyal, director of state Horticulture Development Board.
During the Joypur Utsav and Krishi (Agriculture) Mela, held from January 25 to 30, Mahapatra's success story in ginger production was shown to the farmers to encourage them to take up the same.
"Farmers in a large part of South Bengal have a tendency to pursue potato cultivation. Due to stiff competition, they often don't get the desired results for the hard labour they put in. Shifting to ginger production will ensure better income," said a Food Processing Industries and Horticulture (FPI &H) department official.
Minister in-charge of the department, Arup Roy recently visited Simlapal and witnessed the ginger cultivation.
Batabyal said, now farmers in Kotulpur, Joypur, Bishnupur, Taldangra, Simlapal, Roypur and Sarenga will be encouraged to grow ginger on a large scale while small farmers will be roped in gradually.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.