By Mamun Islam

RANGPUR, Jan 29, 2022 (BSS) – As harvest of various crops on char lands has begun, char people are happy getting excellent output to tackle the crisis situation during the Covid-19 pandemic, in Rangpur agriculture region.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) and NGOs said char people are harvesting early varieties of winter crops on char lands alongside continuing to cultivate some other late varieties during this Rabi season.
        
Many landless char dwellers, small and marginal farmers and riverside people have cultivated crops, mostly adopting intercropping and mixed-relay methods, on char lands and dried-up riverbeds.

Meanwhile, harvest of onion, vegetables, early varieties of pumpkin and other crops has already begun on char lands as the process will end by late May next before commencement of the rainy season.

“Char people are reaping profits from harvesting early varieties of winter crops to lead a better life despite the Covid-19 pandemic,” Additional Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Mahbubur Rahman said.
 
Landless char and riverside people, small and marginal farmers have cultivated crops on around one-lakh hectares of char lands in all five districts of the region.

Varieties of crops like potato, sweet pumpkin, squash, brinjal, onion, garlic, green chili, gourd, banana, mustard, pulses, cauliflower, groundnut, wheat, indigenous varieties of Boro rice and vegetables have been cultivated on char lands and dried-up beds.  

Currently, tender plants of crops are growing fabulously on char areas on the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Dudhkumar, Ghaghot and Jamuna, Atrai, Kartoa and other rivers and tributaries in the region.

Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said crop cultivation on char lands and silted-up riverbeds continues increasing in Rangpur agriculture region during the past three decades.

“Expanded cultivation of varieties of crops on char lands has already changed the fortune of 25,000 farmers and landless people living in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts of the region,” he said.
        
Some 38,000 char and riverside households, who are beneficiaries of different NGOs and government organizations, have cultivated crops on char lands in over 250 char villages with a hope to achieve self-reliance this year.

“People living in char villages of Paschim Mohipur, Gannarpar, Singhimari, Miazipara, Motukpur, Kolkond, Bagdohra, Nohali and Chhalapak in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur are busy now in harvesting and taking care of growing crops on char lands,” Rashid said.
 
Char people Anwar Hossain, Abdul Karim, Mahbub Alam and Abdur Razzaque of village Char Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur said they have won poverty through farming various crops on char lands in the last 13 years.

“I have cultivated pumpkin, onion, garlic and vegetables adopting intercropping methods on dried-up beds of the Teesta to complete harvesting those by May next,” said landless farmer Kochhim Uddin of the same village.

Farmer Moktar Ali of village Char Taluk Shahbaz in Balapara union of Kawnia upazila in Rangpur said many char farmers have cultivated onion, pumpkin, squash, groundnut and other crops on char lands this time.