Farmers eye bumper winter vegetables output in Rangpur region

Farmers and officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension are expecting a bumper production of winter vegetables in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season.

Farmers showing more interest in cultivating winter vegetables this season following the call of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to enhance food production and ensure food security in the wake of global crises caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine War.

Officials of the DAE said farmers have already brought 39,309 hectares of land under winter vegetable cultivation till Monday against the fixed farming target of 40,470 hectares to produce 9.61-lakh tonnes of vegetables.

As the harvesting of early varieties of winter vegetables continues, farmers are continuing to sow seeds in the region where rural people, including women, are cultivating vegetables on their homesteads, nearby abandoned and fallow lands.

“Cultivation of vegetables during the winter, summer and Kharif seasons has become popular both in the mainland and char areas bringing huge profits to farmers in recent years,” said Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Mohammad Shah Alam.

Following expanded cultivation of early varieties of winter vegetables, fresh winter vegetables have flooded local markets now with excellent yield rates and lucrative prices also making farmers happy.

The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute (BARI) and Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) provided quality seeds and technical assistance and commercial banks distributed easy-term agri-loans to farmers to make the intensive winter vegetables farming programme a success this time.

“Farmers are still continuing cultivation of winter vegetables on the same land after harvesting Aman rice and early varieties of winter vegetables as well,” Alam added.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md Mahbubar Rahman said farmers are expected to bring more lands in the mainland, riverine char areas and fallow homesteads under cultivation of winter vegetables.

“Farmers are preferring cultivation of pesticide-free winter vegetables without using chemical fertilisers adopting newer cropping patterns amid changing climatic conditions to get more output and better market price,” Rahman said.

A number of farmers said continuous harvests of early varieties of winter vegetables with excellent yields made them happy bringing excellent market prices at this stage of the season.