RANGPUR, Mar 04, 2019 (BSS) – Cultivation of various crops has become
popular on the sandy char lands and dried-up riverbeds in Rangpur agriculture
region bringing fortune to thousands of the river-eroded and poor people.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said harvest
of various crops cultivated on the dried-up riverbeds and char lands has
already begun with excellent yield rates predicting bumper output this season
like previous years.
The char and riverside people are happy after getting excellent crop
production on the dried-up beds and char lands of the Brahmaputra, Teesta,
Dharla, Ghaghot, Kartoa, Jamuna, other rivers and tributaries. They will
complete the harvest before the next rainy season.
Talking to BSS, Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office
here Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam said crop cultivation on the shoals and
dried-up riverbeds and char lands has become possible due to massive
deposition of alluvial soils.
The people living on the char lands and riverside areas have cultivated
crops on 91,500 hectares of sandy char lands and dried-up beds in five
districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season.
They have mostly cultivated potato and other vegetables, onion, green
chili, garlic, maize, wheat, Boro rice, gourd, groundnut, ‘kawn’, pulses,
’till’, tobacco, pumpkin, pulses, oil seed and watermelon on these lands.
“The char and riverside people have already completed harvest of their
cultivated mustard, onion and vegetables. The process for other cultivated
crops will begin soon and end by late May before rainy season,” Islam added.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh
Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said crop cultivation on char lands and dried-up
riverbeds is increasing in Rangpur agriculture region.
“About 20,000 char households, who are beneficiaries of different
government organisations and NGOs, have cultivated pumpkin, other vegetables
and crops in over 220 villages of 22 upazilas in five districts of the region
this season,” he said.
Talking to BSS, river-eroded people Mohsin Ali, Karim Uddin and Morsheda
Begum of village Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila here said many
families of the village have cultivated crops on the dried-up Teesta riverbed
this year.
They said a farmer spent Taka 18,000 on an average each for cultivating
pumpkin on 200 raised sandbars this time to sell the produced pumpkin at
about Taka 42,000 to earn a net profit of Taka 24,000 after completing the
harvest.
“I have cultivated pumpkin, onion, garlic and vegetables on the dried-up
beds of the river Teesta and will complete harvesting those by the first week
of April,” said riverside farmer Anwar Hossain of the same village.
Char dwellers Akbar Hossain, of village Char Montola, Sultan Hossain of
Korai Barisal, Moyna Bibi of Kheruar Char, Afsar Ali of Char Goynar Patal on
the Brahmaputra in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram said they are expecting
bumper crop production.
They have mostly completed harvest of their cultivated mustard, onion
and vegetables and will start harvesting other crops like pumpkin, garlic,
wheat, tobacco and other crops.