Farmers and officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are expecting a bumper production of winter vegetables in Rangpur region during the current Rabi season, reports BSS.
Talking to BSS, officials and experts of the DAE and other organisations said early varieties of winter have already appeared in markets abundantly making the farmers happy with lucrative price at this stage of the season.
However, cultivation of winter vegetables still is still on as sowing of seeds will continue till the next month in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts of Rangpur agriculture region.
The farmers have already brought 35,785 hectares of land under cultivation of winter vegetables till Tuesday against the fixed target on 37,707 hectares of land to produce over 5.14-lakh tonnes vegetables in the region. “Vegetable farming during both winter and summer seasons has become profitable making over 20,000 farmers economically self-reliant in the region in the last ten years,” Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Mohammad Moniruzzaman said. Like the previous years, agriculture related departments, organisations and research institutions have taken adequate steps to assist farmers and disseminating technologies in making the winter vegetables’ farming programme successful this season.
“The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC), Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI), and other organisations are supplying quality seed, agro-inputs and providing technical assistance to farmers,” he said.
Besides, commercial banks, including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and some NGOs disbursed easy-term agriculture loans among small and marginal farmers to make the intensive winter vegetable farming programme successful. Talking to BSS, farmers Abdul Aziz and Solaiman Ali of Ranipukur village in Mithapukur upazila here said they started selling cauliflower, pumpkin, brinjal, ‘Korola’, ‘Potol’, bean, ‘Jhinga’, ‘Kakrol’, green chili and other winter crops from the last month.
Farmers Hafizur Rahman of Saidur upazila in Nilphamari and Harun Mian of village Teesta in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila expressed satisfaction over the current market price of early varieties of winter vegetables harvested and sold so far to get fair price.
Vegetable seller Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Market said many varieties of winter vegetables have appeared in the local markets in plenty with better price benefiting the farmers as well as vegetables retailers in local markets.
“Local vegetables traders are sending over 100 trucks loaded with winter vegetables daily to the capital city and other places from all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region,” said vegetable trader Faridul Haque at Mithapukur Bazar in Rangpur district.