Cumilla vegetable farmers happy over fair market prices

Farmers of Daudkandi upazila of Comilla are happy over expected production and fair market prices of the vegetable in this current season.

The kitchen markets of the district are adorned with winter vegetables.

While the farmers claim that the price of seedlings is high, they expressed relief as they are getting good prices for their harvest.

According to upazila agriculture office sources, in the current rabi season, 15 unions and one municipality of the upazila have planted various vegetables including tomato, cauliflower, cabbage, radish, spinach, aubergine, bottle gourds, beans, and yardlong beans on 650 hectares of land.

The farmers of Maligaon, Nurpur, Burburia, Chappatli, Khobbaria, Kalakopa and Tamta villages of the upazila are busy weeding and tending to the vegetable fields, some are applying pesticides. Some are already harvesting early cultivated vegetables.

Farmer Ramzan Ali, a resident of Chappatali village, said the price of 1,000 cauliflower seedlings was Tk 1,400 but it went up to Tk 2,000 this year.

“I bought 4,000 seedlings for Tk 8,000. I am cultivating less land this year as the price of fertiliser and seeds are higher,” he said, adding that he expects to make a good profit as the price of vegetables is good in the market this year

Upazila Agriculture Officer Sheikh Bipul Hossain said the target for winter vegetable cultivation this year has been set at 650 hectares of land. Among them, tomato on 120 hectares, bottle gourd on 70 hectares, red amaranth on 50 hectares, radish on 35 hectares, aubergine on 15 hectares and beans on 70 hectares.

Apart from this, various crops including other vegetables have been planted on 14,760 hectares of land in the upazila this season.