Home ›› 17 Nov 2022 ›› Nation
Early variety of cauliflower cultivation has become profitable for a large number of farmers in the northern districts.
The farmers are happy getting reasonable prices for their produce, although the production cost this year is comparatively higher than the last year.
The yield is also satisfactory this year as the weather remained favourable.
Cauliflower currently is selling in the local markets for Tk 65-70 per kg while the vegetable traders are buying from the farmers at Tk 50-55 per kg. The production cost of per kg cauliflower was around Tk 20 this season, according to the farmers.
Alim Miah, 45, a farmer of Moyenpur village under Mithapukur upazilla of Rangpur, cultivated the early variety of cauliflower on two bighas of land spending around Tk 75,000.
He said, “The yield is good as the weather remained favourable for cropping. I got around 8,000 pieces of cauliflower in my farmland, each weighing around 400- 500 grams. I have already sold 2,000 pieces at Tk 55 per kg. Hopefully, I will get back the investment with a huge profit.”
Abdul Gani, 60, a farmer of Vhogdanga village under Kurigram Sadar upazila, said, “Cauliflower has a huge demand in the local markets. The retailers are coming to our croplands to buy the produce.”
“I have planted 4,000 saplings of the variety on one bigha of land spending Tk 36,000 which was Tk 25,000 last year. I do not need to go elsewhere to sell the crop. I have sold all the produce at Tk 90,000 from my land. Although the production cost was higher, I am satisfied with the price I got. The present market price of the crop is reasonable for the farmers,” he added.
Manik Miah, a vegetable trader at Rangpur railway station kitchen market, said, “The price of vegetables in the local markets is higher than last year. We sold cauliflower last year at Tk 45-50 per kg while the price has increased to Tk 65-70 this year. We are buying the product directly from the farmers going to their farmlands.”
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Rangpur office, early variety of cauliflower was cultivated on around 15,000 hectares of land in five districts, Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, and Gaibandha, during the current season while it was 19,000 hectares of land last year.
Mohammad Shah Alam, additional director of the DAE office in Rangpur, said, “Farmers now prefer to cultivate early variety of winter vegetables as it is more profitable than other crops. Cauliflower and cabbage are among the most popular early winter vegetables which are being grown in the region profusely.”
“The warm and humid climatic conditions facilitate rapid growth of cropping. A large amount of vegetables is supplied every day to other parts of the country including the capital from the northern region,” he added.
“We encourage the farmers for intensified cropping patterns. The DAE is supporting farmers with all kinds of modern technology for boosting vegetable production,” the DAE official said.
