RANGPUR, Dec 18, 2020 (BSS) – Farmers and officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are expecting a bumper production of winter vegetables in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region during the current Rabi season.
“As cultivation of winter vegetables continues, early varieties have already appeared in local markets making farmers happy with lucrative prices,” said Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturalist Md. Moniruzzaman.
Braving the coronavirus pandemic, farmers will continue sowing seeds of some winter vegetables till January to recoup the crop losses they incurred during recent floods in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts in the region.
“The farmers have already brought 37,350 hectares of land under cultivation of winter vegetables, 97.39 percent against the fixed farming target on 38,350 hectares of land to produce over nine lakh 48 thousand and 360 tonnes of vegetables,” he said.
Following various steps taken by the government, including distribution of incentives among farmers, cultivation of vegetables during both winter and summer seasons has become popular in recent times bringing huge profits to farmers.
The agriculture related departments, organisations and institutions have taken adequate steps to assist farmers in making the winter vegetables farming programme a complete success in the region this season.
“The DAE, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation and other organisations provided quality seed, incentives and agri-inputs and technical assistance to farmers,” Moniruzzaman said.
Besides, commercial banks, including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and some NGOs disbursed easy-term agriculture loans among farmers to make the winter vegetables farming programme successful.
Vegetable trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Market today told BSS that many varieties of winter vegetables have appeared in the local markets in plenty with better prices benefiting local farmers.
Meanwhile, vegetables traders are exporting huge quantities of the early varieties of winter vegetables to Dhaka city and other parts of the country by trucks from different points in the region.
“Some 500 to 600 trucks loaded with winter vegetables are being sent to the capital city and other places daily from all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region,” vegetable trader Solaiman Ali Rahman at Mithapukur Bazar in Rangpur said.
Farmers Abdul Kader and Farhad Hossain of Ranipukur village in Rangpur said they started harvesting and selling winter vegetables like cauliflower, brinjal, ‘Korola’, ‘Potol’, bean, ‘Jhinga’, ‘Kakrol’, green chili and other varieties since mid-November.
Farmers Ariful Haque Batul, Abdul Aziz and Manik Mian of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar and Mofizar Rahman of Taraganj upazila here expressed satisfaction over current market prices of winter vegetables.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rahman Rashid said farmers are continuing cultivation of winter vegetables along with harvesting the early varieties to earn better profits.
“As cultivation of vegetables has become a profitable venture, its farming is expanding every year following repeated bumper production with lucrative prices in recent times changing the fortune of many farmers in the region,” Rashid added.