Ulipur Correspondent
Farmers of various frontier villages under Hatiya, Daldalia, Bojra, Thetrai, Buraburi, Gunaigach, Begum Ganj, Saheber Alga of Ulipur in Kurigram district are successfully cultivating vegetables on the floating beds of their water-logged, stagnant land.
It is learnt, most of the land of the villages mentioned above remained waterlogged for five to six months in a year. As a result, farmers failed to cultivate crops on their land in that time because the land is filled with water hyacinth and other aquatic plants and herbs. But with the initiative of the local agriculture department many farmers of the region are now being able to cultivate varieties of vegetables on the floating beds prepared with the dumping of water hyacinth and other aquatic plants on water round the year.
After visiting various water bodies( beel areas) of Dudhkumur Beel, Kalapani Bajra, Dighlachhara Beel and various water bodies of Dorikihsorepur area this correspondent noticed farmers of those areas were growing various vegetables including Kalmi, Gourd, Lady's finger, pepper etc on the floating beds of the water logged fields. Under the process, farmers are being able to produce more vegetables and edible creepers on a small amount of land.
Upazila Agriculture Office sources in Ulipur informed the farmers are being inspired to cultivate vegetables, spices and edible creepers through making 28 exhibition plots in the upazila. The floating beds made by using water hyacinth and herbs require no insecticides to apply on the plants and only bio-pesticides and sex pheromones are used for controlling the pests.
Farmer Rafiqul Islam informed due to massive water hyacinth no paddy is produced during the Boro season at Dudhkumur beel. Even, they farmers failed to contain the growth of water hyacinth by applying insecticides on those. Later, according to the advice of the Agriculture Officials he started to cultivate vegetables on the floating beds made of water hyacinth and aquatic plants. He further said, he sold vegetables worth Tk 18,000 last year and more farmers of the villages are becoming interested to cultivate vegetables on the floating beds because it earns more profit and more vegetables are produced in a small bed areas.
Like Rafiqul, Azam Ali of Ananatapur Dudhkumar beel informed he has been cultivating various vegetables on floating beds for last three-year and earning a satisfactory profit.
Some other farmers who are also cultivating vegetables on floating beds informed the planting of vegetables on the floating beds has several advantages. The vegetables produced on the beds are healthy and nourishing because those need no extra irrigation during dry season, those are never plunged in excessive rainfall or in flood, there is no need of chemical fertilisers and insecticides and moreover, those are never disturbed by grazing cattle heads. They further informed, they can produce best quality of compost fertiliser from every bed after every six-months.
Sayedur Rahman, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer of Natun Anatapur informed, earlier the Dudhkumur beel remained filled with water hyacinth years after years. Farmers failed to remove the water hyacinth from the beel. But, now farmers of the surrounding villages of the beel are earning profits by cultivating vegetables and spices by making floating beds on those water logged land.
Ulipur Upazila Agriculture Officer Saiful Islam informed, vegetables and spices are being cultivated on floating beds in a complete environment friendly way using no insecticides but using bio-fertilisers which is ensuring best quality of the products and the stagnant water bodies are also being used as the essential productive sector.
