RANGPUR, May 29, 2021 (BSS) – Farmers are expecting a bumper output of summer vegetables in Rangpur agriculture region after exceeding the fixed farming target by 19.66 percent during this Kharif-1 season.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said all varieties of summer vegetables have already appeared abundantly in the local markets with excellent prices making farmers happy in all five districts of the region.
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of producing over 4.07 lakh tonnes of summer vegetables from 22,030 hectares of land in region this season.
“However, farmers have cultivated summer vegetables on 26,140 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target by 4,110 hectares or 18.66 percent,” Additional Director of the Rangpur DAE Agriculturist Bibhubhushan Roy said.
Farmers have cultivated summer vegetables on 9,480 hectares of land in Rangpur, 4,780 hectares in Gaibandha, 4,805 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 2,465 hectares in Nilphamari and 4,610 hectares of land in Kurigram districts in the region this season.
“The DAE and other agriculture related organisations and institutes, commercial banks and NGOs supplied quality seeds, inputs, agri-loans and assistance to farmers to make the intensive summer vegetables cultivation programme a success this season,” Roy said..
After getting repeated bumper output with lucrative market prices, farmers are cultivating vegetables on more lands, including homesteads and riverine char areas, and many of them have changed their fortunes through farming vegetables twice annually.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said farming of vegetables on crop fields, homesteads and riverine char areas have become a profitable venture during the last twelve years.
“Braving the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers have successfully cultivated summer vegetables exceeding the fixed farming target in the region,” Rashid said, adding that harvest of summer vegetables continues now.
Talking to BSS, farmers Solaiman Ali, Abul Halim and Sohrab Hossain of Ranipukur village in Rangpur expressed satisfaction over excellent output of different varieties of summer vegetables and fair prices.
Vegetable-trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar said farmers are now selling different varieties of summer vegetables at between Taka 20 and Taka 40 per kg on an average to the middlemen.
“The retail prices are, however, higher by Taka 8 to Taka 12 per kg in local markets as some vegetables are being perished during the transportation and marketing process under the pandemic situation,” Hafizur said.
Predicting a brighter prospect for expanding cultivation of vegetables in the region, Senior Vice-president of Rangpur Chamber Mostoba Hossain Ripan stressed setting up of agro-based industries for preserving vegetables to ensure more benefits to farmers.