Photo : BSS

By Md Mamun Islam 

RANGPUR, Sept 12, 2025 (BSS) - Hundreds of farmers in the Rangpur agricultural region are benefiting from cultivating vegetables throughout the year, improving their livelihoods and fortunes, as well as boosting the rural economy. 
 
In particular, since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, many farmers and ordinary people have been successfully cultivating vegetables in farmland, pastures, and homesteads, meeting their nutritional needs while making good profits.
 
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said that vegetables are cultivated throughout the year in the Rabi, Kharif-1 and 
Kharif-2 seasons, which makes many farmers self-reliant in the five districts of the region.
 
Md Sirajul Islam, acting additional director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, agriculturist in Rangpur region, said that vegetable 
farming has become a profitable project by adopting new crop types and technologies in the changing climatic conditions.
 
Acting Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur agricultural region Krishibid Md Sirajul Islam said that vegetable farming has become a 
profitable venture by adopting new crop types and technologies in the changing climatic conditions 
 
"Along with massive government support and easy-to-use agricultural loans, some NGOs are providing farmers with quality seeds, inputs and the latest technology to increase year-round vegetable production in the region," he said. 
 
After repeatedly achieving bumper yields and excellent market prices each year, farmers have been cultivating vegetables on more land in both the mainland and pasture regions since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
During the last Rabi season, farmers produced 10,39,699 tonnes of winter vegetables from 39,742 hectares of land at the average yield rate of 26.16 tonnes per hectare of land in the region.
 
"Similarly, farmers produced 5,24,485 tonnes of vegetables from 28,344 hectares of land at an excellent average yield rate of 18.50 tonnes per 
hectare of land during the just-ended Kharif-1 season in the region," Islam said.
 
In addition, farmers in this region have cultivated vegetables on 15,869 hectares of land so far in the current Kharif-2 season, where vegetable 
harvest and sowing of seeds is still underway.
 
"If the climatic conditions remain favourable, a bumper production of around 2,90,000 lakh tonnes of vegetables is likely during this Kharif-2 season in the region," Krishibid Md Sirajul Islam hoped.
 
Market sources said Kharif-2 vegetables have already appeared in plenty in local markets with excellent prices making farmers happy.
 
Talking to BSS, farmers Arman Hossain, Liyakat Ali, Mohan Ali, Nur Islam, Ali and Anwar Hossain of different villages in Rangpur said they achieved self-reliance by cultivating vegetables on their farm-lands and homesteads in recent years. 
 
"Getting excellent prices during the Covid-19 pandemic, farmers are expanding cultivation of vegetables on farmlands and homesteads to reap more profits and meet nourishment," said farmer Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar in Rangpur Sadar.
 
Vegetable retailer Fazlur Rahman at Keranipara Kitchen Market in Rangpur city said farmers sold Kharif-2 vegetables at rates between Taka 30 and Taka 150 per kilogram on an average depending on varieties and quality to the middlemen and wholesalers.
 
"Retail prices are, however, higher by Taka 10 to Taka 20 per kg in local markets as some vegetables perished during the transportation and marketing process," he added.
 
Retailers Hafizur Rahman of Rangpur City Market and Rashedul Islam of Jaigirhat market in Rangpur said that farmers are now happy to get fair prices for their produced Kharif-2 vegetables.