Home ›› 11 Mar 2023 ›› Nation
Sandy shoals that emerged in the Teesta River during winter have become a blessing for many farmers in Lalmonirhat as they have successfully cultivated different kinds of vegetables there.
The shoals (chars) are now full of green vegetables as farmers have cultivated pumpkin, peanut, wheat, maize, paddy, chilli, onion and other vegetables and are expecting good profit due to their good quality and high prices in the market.
Farmers said many shoals emerge in the river during the dry season but in monsoon the river overflows its banks, causing extensive damage to crops. Both flood and erosion of riverbanks have made the lives of char residents difficult, they said.
When the flood water recedes and shoals emerge in the river, local farmers cultivate vegetables on the fertile and sandy lands to earn a livelihood.
Many farmers have cultivated peanuts, cucumber and watermelon but most of the farmers preferred pumpkins due to low production cost and bumper production.
Farmers dig holes in the char and fill it with fertile soil collected from other places. Later they mix compost and sow seeds of the pumpkin.
When the plants grow up, the farmers nurture their plants through irrigation.
A total of 8-10 pumpkins were found from each plant, each weighing 3-4 kg.
Before monsoon, the farmers can harvest their pumpkins and sell them to the local market. Each pumpkin is sold at Tk 50-60.
Masfur Ali, a farmer of Pangatari village in Sadar upazila, said he has no land of his own and there is no alternative to farming to maintain the expenses of the family.
“I planted 1000 pumpkin plants on a char (shoal) land spending only Tk 10,000 but I hope that I will be able to sell my produced pumpkins worth Tk 40,000,” he said.
