Reena Begum, a 45-year-old housewife from Senhati village in Dighalia upazila, Khulna district, has achieved financial independence by cultivating ginger in sacks. In the last year, she made over Tk 2 lakh by growing ginger on only 12 decimals of land. Right now, during the current Robi crop season, she is planting ginger in about 70 sacks. In an interview with BSS, Reena explained, “I cultivated ginger in just 70 bags and achieved initial success. Costs and risks are minimal, and with favorable market rates, the earnings have been considerable. She mentioned that her spending is roughly Tk 45-50 for each kilogram of ginger, while she sells it at Tk 140-150 per kg. In addition to ginger, Reena also grows various vegetables on her land. Reena’s journey into agriculture began three years ago when her family’s financial situation was challenging. The earnings of her husband, who worked as an electrician, were not enough to sustain the family. Determined to improve their circumstances, Reena decided to cultivate vegetables. She found significant success in ginger farming using the sack method, which she began last year. In Dighalia upazila, the method of ginger farming using sacks has become quite popular. Farmers, including women, have adopted this innovative approach to utilize fallow and uncultivated land. This approach is affordable, requires little labor, and is easy to care for. Farmers grow ginger in bags located next to their homes, in courtyards, or on vacant land. Each bag is filled with 7-8 kg of soil that is blended with organic fertilizers, and with proper watering and shade, farmers can easily achieve good harvests. Sagar Sarkar, the Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer in Upazila, reported that he encouraged farmers in Senhati to use bags for ginger cultivation on unused land. Because of this guidance, several farmers in his area adopted this method. He pointed out that the expense to grow ginger in one bag is only about Tk 40 to 45. Md Kishore Ahmed, the Upazila Agriculture Officer, stressed that this method is timely and profitable. It makes good use of uncultivated land and can also be done on a small scale near homes. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) is offering farmers training and technical assistance. DAE officials stated that a total of 69,935 bags were used for ginger farming, spanning an area of 131.4 hectares in the Khulna agricultural zone. The method has been expanded to other districts, including Bagerhat, Satkhira, and Narail, with the aim of increasing production. Md Rafiqul Islam, the Additional Director of DAE for the Khulna area, mentioned that families can grow ginger to satisfy their own requirements since it can be planted in sacks, allowing farmers to gain advantages from it.
