RANGPUR, Mar 15, 2019 (BSS) – High harvesting of winter vegetables in Rangpur region as well as favourable price brought smile in the faces of farmers this year.
Farmers are happy getting excellent production with lucrative price of winter vegetables in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region during this Robi crop season.
Officials and experts of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said harvesting of winter vegetables is nearing completion with excellent yield rate predicting super bumper output of the crops.
The DAE had fixed a target of producing 7.86-lakh tonnes of winter vegetables from 37,729 hectares of land in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts. However, farmers finally 39,466 hectares of land came under the cultivating of winter vegetables.
According to horticulture specialist of the DAE Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam, farmers have harvested winter vegetables on 24,600 hectares of land producing 2.56-lakh tonnes of the crops with an average yield rate of 21.37 tonnes per hectares.
Total production of winter vegetables might exceed 8.80-lakh tonnes, higher than the targeted 54,000 tonnes after completion of harvesting season in early May.
Deputy Director of the DAE Md. Moniruzzaman said cultivation of vegetables has become popular venture both in the mainland and riverine char areas bringing huge profit to the farmers in recent times.
Following expanded cultivation of vegetables during both winter and summer season and applying new cropping patterns the farmers are getting excellent yields under favorable climatic condition, he said.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute and Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation are supplying quality seed, inputs and providing technical assistance to the farmers for expanding vegetable cultivation round the year.
Besides, commercial banks and many NGOs are disbursing easy agricultural loans among the farmers to make the intensive vegetables farming programmes successful during both winter and summer seasons.
Talking to BSS, a number of farmers said vegetable trader at Shothibari Bazar in Mithapukur upazila said they supplied huge winter vegetables to capital Dhaka and other parts of the country everyday.
Everyday some 130-150 trucks loaded with winter vegetables left for Dhaka and other parts of the country from Rangpur, DAE official Abdur Rahim said adding that market price of winter vegetables started soaring now as harvesting is nearing completion.
Vegetable vendor Hafizur Rahman here said the price of winter vegetables was satisfactory in the last two weeks. Farmers Azmal Hossain and Kafil Uddin of Sadar upazila and Anwar Hossain of Gangachara upazila said they have got excellent production and market price of winter vegetables this season.