Intensive crop cultivation continues on char lands in Rangpur region

418

RANGPUR, Nov 19, 2020 (BSS) – Many flood-affected char people are continuing intensive cultivation of crops, mostly adopting intercropping methods, on char lands and dried-up riverbeds in riverine areas of Rangpur agriculture region.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said char people started sowing seeds of Rabi crops from last month on char lands following the appearance of shoals with massive deposition of alluvial soils during recent floods.

Talking to BSS, acting Additional Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said char people cultivated various crops on 91,000 hectares of char lands in all five districts in the region during the last Rabi season.

Tender plants of some crops are growing superbly on char lands, shoals and silted- up beds of the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Ghaghot, Jamuna, Kartoa and other rivers and tributaries in the region.

Char people are cultivating vegetables and spicy crops like potato, pumpkin, brinjal, green chili, onion, garlic and maize, wheat, Boro rice, groundnut, ‘kawn’, ’till’, tobacco, banana, pulses and watermelon and many other crops on char lands.

“Char and riverside people will begin harvesting their cultivated crops from January next to end before commencement of the rainy season,” Moniruzzaman added.

Many people living in char villages of Gannarpar, Buridangi, Singhimari, Miazipara, Motukpur, Kolkond, Bagdohra, Nohali, Chhalapak and other char areas in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur are very busy now in cultivating various crops on char lands.

They are mostly cultivating potato, sweet pumpkin, onion, garlic, green chili, mustard, pulses and many varieties of vegetables on sandy char lands and dried-up beds of the Teesta in these char villages like other char areas of the region.

Talking to BSS, riverside and char people Anwarul Islam, Kobiza Khatun and Mahfil Haque of Char Mohipur area in the upazila said 100 families are cultivating various crops on char lands and dried-up riverbeds.

Anwarul said a farmer generally spends Taka 20,000 for cultivating pumpkin on 200 raised sandbars to sell the produce at around Taka 50,000 and earn a net profit of Taka 30,000 on an average after completing harvest by March and April every year.

“I am cultivating pumpkin, onion, garlic and vegetables adopting intercropping methods on dried-up beds of the Teesta to complete harvesting those by April next,” said landless farmer Kobiza Khatun of Paschim Mohipur village in Gangachara upazila.

Farmer Rafikul Islam of Char Gannarpar village in the upazila said he has cultivated potato on two acres of land this time and the tender plants are growing excellent amid favourable climatic conditions.

Farmer of the same village Bablu Mian said he has cultivated garlic on 90 decimals of char lands.

Talking to BSS, 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 across Rangpur region benefiting char people.

Some 22,000 char households, who are beneficiaries of different NGOs and government organisations, are cultivating pumpkin, other vegetables and crops in over 240 char villages of all five districts of the region this season.

“More than 20,000 char families have already achieved self-reliance through farming various crops on char lands with GO-NGO assistance changing their living standard and livelihoods,” he added.

Agriculturist Dr. Md. Abdul Mazid, who got the Independence Award-2018 (food security), said crop cultivation on char lands and dried up riverbeds, has been increasing every year bringing more profits and solvency to local char people.