Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) are expecting a bumper summer vegetables’ output as farmers have exceeded its farming target during this Kharif-1 season in Rangpur agriculture region.
“Some varieties of summer vegetables have already appeared plentifully in local markets with excellent prices making farmers happy in the region,” Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Khandker Abdul Wahed said.
The DAE has fixed a target of producing over 4.07 lakh tonnes of summer vegetables from 22,030 hectares of land for all five districts in Rangpur agriculture region for the current Kharif-1 season.
“However, enthusiastic farmers have already cultivated summer vegetables on 22,815 hectares of land by Saturday exceeding the fixed farming target by 3.56 per cent as the farming process still continues across the region,” he said.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and other organisations extended assistance to farmers to make the intensive summer vegetables cultivation programme successful.
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 fortunes through farming vegetables twice annually.
Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said vegetables farming on crop fields, homesteads and riverine char areas have become a profitable venture during the last twelve years.
“Braving the present coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic situation, farmers have exceeded the fixed farming target of summer vegetables for the region where sowing of the seeds and saplings of vegetables still continues,” Rashid said.
Farmers Solaiman Ali, Arifur Rahman, Aiyub Ali, Mokhlesur Rahman and Echhahaq Ali of different villages in Sadar, Badarganj and Mithapukur upazilas of Rangpur expressed satisfaction over excellent output of summer vegetables and fair prices.
Similarly, farmers Abdur Rahman, Badiul Alam, Nurul Haque, Tofazzal Hossain and Aminul Haque of different villages in Sadar and Saidpur upazilas of Nilphamari said they are also expecting a bumper production of summer vegetables this year.
Vegetable-traders Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar and Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara Kitchen market in Rangpur city said the farmers are currently selling different varieties of summer vegetables at between Taka 30 and Taka 50 per kg to the middlemen.
“The retail prices are, however, higher by Taka 10 to Taka 15 per kg in local markets as some vegetables are being perished during the transportation and marketing process under the COVID-19 pandemic situation,” Hafizur said.
President of Rangpur Chamber Mostofa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu said vegetable farming would be more profitable to farmers if adequate number of agro-based industries were set up in the region for preserving vegetables and enhancing export, reports BSS.
