RANGPUR, Dec 07, 2019 (BSS) – The char areas and dried-up riverbeds are wearing greenish look with superbly growing tender plants of various crops in the riverine areas of Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said char people are expected to bring around 90,000 hectares of char lands and dried-up riverbeds under crop farming in all five districts of the region during this Rabi season.
The riverside and char people and farmers are continuing to sow crop seeds on char lands and dried up riverbeds following appearance of shoals with massive deposition of silts and alluvial soils over the decades.
The farmers have completed sowing seeds of mustard, watermelon, onions, garlic, chili, pulses, potatoes and other vegetables though the process continues for other crops like maize, wheat, gourd, Boro rice, groundnut, tobacco and pumpkin on these lands.
Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said people are expanding cultivation of crops on the char lands and dried-up riverbeds after getting repeated bumper outputs and lucrative price in recent times.
“The riverside and char people and framers are aiming at completing harvest of the crops before commencement of the next rainy season,” Moniruzzaman added.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said crop cultivation on char lands and silted-up riverbeds is expanding every year during the past three decades.
Around 20,000 char households, who are beneficiaries of different NGOs, including RDRS Bangladesh, and government organisations, are cultivating crops in over 230 villages of 25 upazilas in all five districts of the region.
More than 15,000 char and riverside families have achieved self-reliance by farming crops, especially maize and pumpkin, on dried-up riverbeds and char lands changing their living standard in the region.
Talking to BSS, riverside and char people expressed happiness over excellent growth of tender plants of their cultivated crops on the dried up riverbeds and char lands.
Farmers Anwar Hossain and Mahbub Alam of riverside Char Paschim Mohipur village in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said they have won poverty through cultivating crops on char lands and dried-up riverbeds.
Abdur Razzaque and Kobiza Khatun of the village said they are cultivating pumpkin with other crops like onion, garlic, vegetables, chili, squash, potato, brinjal, sweet potato and other Rabi crops on the sandy char lands and dried-up riverbeds this season.
Resident Hossain Ali of Dhushmara Char in Kawnia upazila of Rangpur said he has sowed seeds of pumpkin on more char lands this time on char lands after earning Taka 90,000 as net profit after selling his produce from 3,200 pumpkin plants.
Residents Nur Hossain and Abdus Salam of different char villages in Kurigram and Fazlul Haque and Mofizul Haque of char villages in Lalmonirhat said they are expecting bumper production of their cultivated crops on char lands this season.