RAJSHAHI, Jan 28, 2019 (BSS)- Rajshahi district has clinched the top position in vegetable production throughout the country in last 2017-18 fiscal.
Shamsul Haque, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), here told BSS that Ministry of Agriculture has selected Rajshahi as the top vegetable producing district on the basis of per hectare vegetable production quantity in last fiscal.
Basically, he said the district has been adjudged as the best vegetable producing district by dint of its increasing acreage and per-hectare production.
Agriculturist Shamsul Haque says Sathkhira district captured the second position while the third position goes to Madaripur and Cox’s Bazar jointly.
He said the position-winning districts were given awards in a colourful function at Krishibeed Institution auditorium in Dhaka on Saturday.
Shamsul Haque says Rajshahi district yielded around 3.63 lakh metric tons of vegetable in 21,723 hectares of land in 2015-16 fiscal. In gap of two years, both acreage and production has been enhanced by 512 hectares and 1.43 metric tons respectively in 2017-18 fiscal.
More than 4.03 lakh metric tons of vegetables were harvested from 22,235 hectares of land in last fiscal. Average yield was 18.12 metric tons. He says the district got the government acknowledgement excepting its potato production. If the potato was added the average production will furthermore increase.
Dr Shakhawat Hossain, Senior Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, says Rajshahi’s topography and climatic condition is very much suitable for production of vegetable and fruits.
The farmers are also sincere relating to this cultivation and production. They use balanced fertilizer in farming fields. He added that the farmers at present are seen encouraging and interesting towards vegetable and fruit farming more than that of cereal crops farming in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Rajshahi has been regarded as the country’s most prospective vegetable producing region. The farmers have become more interested in vegetable cultivation as they have been gaining more profit during the last couple of years.
Apart from, vegetables’ farming becomes more profitable than other crops in recent years bringing fortunes to thousands of farmers and commoners in the region during the past few years.
SM Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of DAE, said use of vacant spaces for producing vegetables has been seen as potential means for gradual development in the life of the downtrodden in the region.
With the increase in population, demand for vegetables is also increasing in the region.
Varieties of vegetables are available in the local markets round the years because of regular farming of the crops along with other seasonal fruits and crops, he added.