BSS-24 Thousands achieve self-reliance thru’ vegetable cultivation

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ZCZC

BSS-24

VEGETABLES-ECONOMY (with picture)

Thousands achieve self-reliance thru’ vegetable cultivation

RANGPUR, July 21, 2018 (BSS) – Thousands of farmers and common people have achieved economic self-reliance through cultivation of vegetables on their farmlands and homesteads round the year in Rangpur agriculture region.

Officials at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said vegetable farming has become a profitable venture and farmers are showing interest in cultivating vegetables under changed climatic conditions adopting newer cropping patterns.

Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said many farmers have already changed fortune by farming both summer and winter vegetables in all five districts udder the region.

Side by side with huge government assistance and easy-term agri-loans, many NGOs are supplying quality seed, inputs and technological assistance to farmers to further increase vegetable production during both Rabi and Kharip-1 seasons.

“After getting repeated bumper output with excellent market price every year, farmers are bringing more lands under vegetable farming in the region,” said Horticulture Specialist of the DAE at its regional office Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam.

During the last Rabi season, farmers produced over 8.67-lakh tonnes of vegetables worth Taka 2,170-crore from 39,340 hectares of land against the fixed target of producing 7.88-lakh tonnes of vegetables from 37,729 hectares of land in the region.

“Similarly, the farmers have brought 22,279 hectares of land, 230 hectares more than the fixed production target of 3.41-lakh tonnes of summer vegetables from 22,049 hectares of land during this Kharip-1 season in the region,” Islam said.

“The farmers may get a bumper production of over 3.50-lakh tonnes of vegetables worth Taka 875-crore during this Kharip-1 season in Rangpur, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts under Rangpur agriculture region,” he added.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Dr Sarwarul Alam said all varieties of summer vegetables already appeared in plenty in the local markets with excellent price bringing smile to farmers.

In addition, many farmers and commoners have already taken preparation to cultivate early varieties of vegetables on their farmlands and homesteads to harvest those during the upcoming lean period of ‘Aswin’ and ‘Kartik’ months to earn more profits, he said.

Talking to BSS, farmers Ariful Haque, Altaf Hossain, Solaiman Ali and Abdul Malek of different villages in Mithapukur upazila said they achieved self-reliance by cultivating vegetables on their farm-lands and homesteads during the past ten years.

Vegetables’ trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Market said huge vegetables loaded in over 200 loaded trucks are being exported from the region to Dhaka and other places daily and the process has created huge jobs for the day- and farm- labourers.

While talking to the national news agency, President of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu predicted brighter prospect of expanding vegetable cultivation in the region.

He put emphasis on setting up of agro-based industries in the region for processing the produced vegetables as well as fruits to benefit the growers and enhance export of the agro-products for earning foreign exchange to further strengthen national economy.

BSS/SPL/MI/MRU/1814hrs