Farmers are very happy getting excellent yield and rewarding prices of early varieties of summer vegetables as farming of its late varieties continues during the current Kharif-1 season in Rangpur agriculture region.
"Meanwhile, early varieties of summer vegetables have already appeared in local markets with excellent prices making farmers happy across the region," said Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Aftab Hossain.
The DAE has fixed a target of producing four lakh 94 thousand and 873 tonnes of summer vegetables from 28,605 hectares of land for all five districts in the region during the current Kharif-1 season.
Farmers have so far cultivated summer vegetables on 11,645 hectares of land or 40.71 percent against the targeted land area by Wednesday as the farming process continues in full swing across the region.
"After getting repeated bumper productions with lucrative prices, farmers are expanding cultivation of vegetables on more land areas in all seasons round the year and many of them have achieved self-reliance in recent years in the region," Hossain added.
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mandal said many varieties of summer vegetables have already appeared in local markets following cultivation of early varieties adopting newer cropping patterns.
The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and other organisations are providing quality seeds and technologies to farmers to make the intensive summer vegetable cultivation programme a success.
"Besides, different banks, including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and NGOs are disbursing agriculture and other easy-term loans to farmers to make the massive winter vegetable farming program successful," Mandal said.
Hundreds of farmers have achieved self-reliance through farming vegetables on crop fields, homesteads, riverine char areas and silted-up riverbeds in the last 14 years across the region.
Talking to BSS, farmers Anwarul Islam, Moniruzzaman, Armanul Haque and Babul Mian of different villages in Rangpur Sadar upazila expressed happiness over excellent output of early varieties of summer vegetables and fair prices.
Similarly, farmers Habibur Rahman, Morshedur Rahman and Kafil Uddin of different villages in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said tender plants of their cultivated summer vegetables are growing superbly predicting a bumper production this season.
Vegetable trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Bazar said farmers are currently selling different varieties of summer vegetables at rates between Taka 30 and Taka 50 per kilogram depending on varieties to the middlemen after harvesting on their crop fields.
"The retail prices are, however, higher by Taka 15 to Taka 20 per kilogram in local markets as some vegetables are being perished during transportation, preservation and the whole marketing process," Rahman said.
Vegetable retailer Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara Kitchen market in Rangpur city today told BSS that most varieties of summer vegetables are currently being sold to consumers at rates between Taka 40 and Taka 65 per kilogram.
Rangpur Chamber President Mostofa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu stressed on setting up of more agro-based industries, preservation and processing facilities in the region for enhancing export to make vegetable cultivation more gainful to farmers.
Source: Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha