RAJSHAHI, Feb 5, 2024 (BSS)- Crop cultivation in char land (riverbed) has 
made the farmers delighted as they are now making profit as a result of their 
bumper production of winter vegetables including some high valued crops.

In a sense, crop farming has opened up a new door of success as most of the 
growers are now happy with their outputs at present.

Chars emerging in the rivers of Padma and Mohananda are bringing fortune to 
many farmers in Paba, Godagari and Bagha upazilas of Rajshahi and Sadar and 
Shibganj upazilas of Chapainawabganj districts during the last couple of 
decades.

Hundreds of farmers in the two districts are now very happy as deposits of 
alluvial silt in the char areas have given them an opportunity to cultivate 
various crops and vegetables in their fields, said Shamsul Wadud, additional 
director of department of agriculture extension.

Both acreage and production of various types of vegetables including 
cauliflower, cabbage, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, cucumber and ladies finger 
were increased significantly in the riverbed area during the last couple of 
years benefitting the consumers in general.
 
All varieties of winter vegetables have now appeared in abundance in the 
local markets and the yield rates achieved so far are found to be higher than 
that of the target due to early farming of the vegetables.
 
Farmers are being habituated with homestead gardening through establishing 
projection plot of improved technologies adjacent to the localities for 
enhancing vegetable output.
 
Modern technologies are being transferred to the growers level through 
farmers training, projection plot, field day and different types of campaign 
so that the farmers could make their cultivation more effective and 
profitable.

Agriculturist Wadud says emphasis is being given to increasing production of 
high yielding seeds and saplings through farmers' level extension and 
application of the high yielding varieties.
 
Chief Scientific Officer of Regional Wheat and Maize Research Institute Dr 
Ilias Hossain said many farmers were seen showing success in wheat and maize 
farming in the charlands after the best uses of the modern technologies.

Nazib Uddin, a farmer of Char Mazar diar, told BSS that he has cultivated pea 
on 10-bigha land in Padma char. He said after the water receded, he cleaned 
weeds and made the land suitable for cultivation. He had spent Taka 75,000 
lakh for the cultivation and hoped that he would make profit after selling 
the products.
 
He says the yield of vegetables is good this year and there is a lot of 
income by selling vegetables.
 
Swapan Ali, 45, another farmer of the same village, has become an icon of 
vegetable cultivation in his locality.
 
His annual earning is around Tk three to four lakh on an average at present.
 
"I have cultivated wheat on five bigha of land. I am very much hopeful of 
bumper yield in the upcoming harvesting season," said Mozahar Hossain, a 
farmer of Bazubagha Natunpara village under Bagha upazila.
 
In addition to homestead gardening, the farmers cultivated vegetables on more 
lands this year than the previous years as climatic condition remains 
favourable.
 
After meeting the local demands the surplus vegetables are being supplied to 
different parts of the country including Dhaka benefiting the consumers in 
general.
 
'I have cultivated cauliflower and cabbage on an acre of land by spending 
Taka 30,000. I am very much happy with the sale-proceeds valued at around 
Taka 80,000 during the current harvesting season,' said Muslem Uddin, a 
farmer of the same village.
 
Some other farmers including Ajer Ali, Mohsin Ali and Abdul Mannan of Amadpur 
village also revealed the similar success with smiling faces.
Many of them were seen tilting towards large-scale commercial vegetable 
farming in vast char areas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj districts creating 
a silent revolution in this field.
 
While visiting some of the remotest and hard-to-reach areas, this reporter 
witnessed success of many of the farmers cultivating cauliflower, cabbage, 
potato, brinjal, bottle gourd, tomato and onion.