18.72 lakh tonnes winter vegetables yield likely in Rajshahi division

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RAJSHAHI, Nov 22, 2019 (BSS)- A target has been set to produce 18.72
lakh tonnes of vegetables from 86,708 hectares of land in the region
including its vast Barind tract during the current winter season.

Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set the target to produce
various kinds of vegetables in all eight districts under Rajshahi division
after the best uses of its existing natural resources and modern
technologies, said Deb Dulal Dhali, Additional Director of DAE.

Meanwhile, the local kitchen markets are now abounds with various
advanced varieties of vegetables including cauliflower, cabbage, bottle
gourd, Indian spinach and red amaranth benefiting both the growers and
consumers.

The advanced farming brings smile on farmers face here as they are
becoming financially solvent by cultivating various types of vegetables,
meeting its rising demand with increasing population.

Anwar Hossain, 53, a farmer of Pirijpur village under Godagari upazila,
said he earned Taka 18,000 after selling red amaranth from one bigha of land
after sowing its seed hardly 16 days back at a cost of Taka 12,000.

He is very much happy over the vegetable farming because he gets good
yield with fair market price within short time.

Nezamat Ullah, 45, another farmer of Palpur village, said not only red
amaranth but also many other short duration vegetables are being produced
here.

Swapan Ali, 45, a farmer of Panchandar village under Tanore upazila, has
become an icon of vegetable cultivation at his locality. His annual earning
is around Taka three to four lakh on an average at present.

He has started the vegetable farming with brinjal on only five decimal
of fellow land after failing to get irrigation water for Irri-boro farming
around five years back. His initial income was around Taka 20,000 that
inspires him to expand the farming commercially.

Dr Shakhawat Hossain, Senior Scientific Officer of On Farm Research
Division, an organ of Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, said farmers
get benefit by farming vegetables in the region including its vast Barind
Tract. It brings smile on marginal farmers and poor people’s face, he added.

Besides, he said vegetable farming in both commercial and homestead
method is gradually increasing in the vast Barind tract as many people are
seen humming towards the farming leaving behind the high-irrigation consuming
crops.

Both acreage and production of various types of vegetables were
increased significantly in the area during the last couple of years
benefitting the consumers in general.

Under the ‘Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)’ project, more
than 12.58 lakh community people of 2.66 lakh households are being motivated
and encouraged towards vegetable farming to reduce the pressure on
underground water.

The project is being implemented by DASCOH Foundation at around 1,280
drought-hit villages in 39 Union Parishads and three municipalities of eight
upazilas in Rajshahi, Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts since 2014, said
Jahangir Alam Khan, Assistant Coordinator of the project.

Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Shamsher Ali told BSS that the
vegetable farming in Barind land is now plentiful. Farmers are seen sending
their fresh vegetables to different cities including the capital Dhaka after
meeting up the local demands regularly, he added.

Acreage of the farming is increasing gradually due to more income from
small land.