Bumper yield, fair prices delight Bogura farmers

Farmers of the north-western region of Bogura are delighted over a bumper yield of winter vegetables, especially cauliflower and cabbage, as they are getting fair prices for their produce.

They are enjoying additional profits as they have exceeded the targeted amount of production set by the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) this season. The DAE’s Bogura office has set a target of producing cauliflower and cabbage on 1,150 hectares of land this season.

However, the gradual rise in demand for and prices of the winter vegetables has caught the attention of the farmers and made them inclined to the cultivation of these vegetables.

They have produced 32,940 metric tonnes of cauliflower from 1,220 hectares of cropland and 28,520 metric tonnes of cabbage from 920 hectares of cropland.

In total, 61,460 metric tonnes of these two vegetables have been cultivated on 2,140 hectares of cropland, exceeding the target of 1,962 hectares of cropland, according to the DAE sources.

“The prices of these two vegetables were good last season. That is why more farmers have opted for winter vegetable cultivation. The prices of early winter vegetables were sky-high at the beginning of this year as well,” said Enamul Haque, additional deputy director of Bogura DAE.

Quoting the local farmers, he said one maund of cauliflower and cabbage was selling for Tk 1,700 to Tk 1,900 at the beginning of the winter season. The prices saw a steep fall (one maund was sold for Tk 800 to Tk 900) during November as the domestic market became flooded with a new supply of cauliflowers.

However, as the winter season progressed, the prices have stabilised during December, and now the farmers are getting Tk 1,200 for the same amount.

During a recent visit to Mahasthan Haat, a prominent local market of Shibganj upazila, hundreds of farmers, traders, and wholesalers were seen busy negotiating their prices with each other early in the morning on December 24.

Wholesalers and traders, who were present at the market with their trucks, said thousands of maunds of winter vegetables are traded and distributed throughout the country from the market every day.

Ajmal Hossain Molla, a farmer of Debipur village of Shibganj upazila, told The Business Post that as the temperature plunged with the progression of the winter season and frigid weather started to make life difficult for people of the country, the prices have seen a rise again.

He further said that one kilogramme of cauliflower harvested early was sold for Tk 100 to Tk 150, and one maund of the vegetable was sold for Tk 1,700 to Tk 1,900 in recent times.

Echoing his remarks, Abdus Samad, another farmer of the market, said his production cost was Tk 20,000 to Tk 23,000 for each bigha of cropland. “I got a bumper yield and getting good prices for my vegetables. I am happy with the returns,” he said.

Shahinur Alam, a farmer, said the favourable weather has attributed to the quality of the cauliflower and cabbage they cultivated this year.

“The size, weight and taste of these vegetables are good this season. Even though consumers and farmers prefer buying and selling vegetables harvested early, they are getting the optimal quality with good returns,” he said.