The cultivation of arum has become a popular vegetable and a cash crop in Kurigram district. Farmers have now taken to its commercial farming and the cultivation are increasing gradually. The cultivation is cheap and farmers earn can make considerable profits.

A large number of poor farmers of the district have improved their livelihood by cultivating arum, local people said.The vegetable is also good for health, as pesticides are not needed during its cultivation

KurigramDepartment of Agriculture Extension (DAE) official said the arum has been cultivated on 255 hectares of land in this year. The soil and climate of the district are suitable for arum cultivation.The marginal farmers are now growing arum on their land as they find cultivating of the vegetable profitable.Arum is grown in both high and low lying areas and farmers can cultivate the vegetable round the year, the sources added.

Some farmers while talking in this correspondent said they had cultivated arum on their lands as cultivation of the vegetable I s cost effective and it does not need irrigation.

Farmers at Kathalbari,Holokhana,Mogolbacha and Belgacha under sadarupazila, and Rajarhat,Bhurungamari,Nageswari,Phulbari,Ulipur,Chilmari,Roumari and Rajibpurupazila had cultivated arum and they are happy with the yield in this year.

Abdul Malek 56 of village Shibram under Kathalbari union of KurigramSadarupazila said he had produced around 80 maunds of arum by cultivation on one bigha of land this year.

My cultivation cost is about Tk.40, 000. I am selling per maund of arum at Tk. 1,200. A total of selling Tk. 96,000. Of them, Tk56,000 netincome, said the farmer. Now per kg arum is being sold in the local kitchen market as retail price at Tk 50.Cooking of Arum with local fishes is very tasty.

Shafikul Islam 40 another farmer narrated how he has become self-reliant by cultivating arum. I have been cultivating arum for the last five years. I have improved my livelihood and I am now living a very happy life with my family, said the farmer.

There are several varieties of arum including Ollkachu,black kachu,panikachu,man kachu,baiyakachu and ailakachu. Arum has high food value as it contains alkaline,calcium and iron and it is also suggested to the concerned patients to take arum for curing the disease of piles,doctors said. Cultivation of large scale help to reduce poverty in the district,he added.

Production of arum in the district is gradually increasing every year as farmers are becoming interested in its commercial cultivation, said AbdurRazzak a local farmer.  The vegetable is rich in vitamins and calcium, which can prevent various diseases, he added.

Several kochu growers said they got interested in the cultivation as it is more profitable than paddy and other crops.

I cultivate kochu as its production cost is lower than other crops and profit is high. Besides, the crop sees fewer diseases and there no need to use pesticides said Ramzan Ali of Dakbanglapara in Sadarupazila.Another advantage of kochu cultivation is that it can be grown as an associate crop with others like banana and pineapple, said kochu cultivator Babul of Kaliganj union in Nageswariupazila.  #