Photo: BSS

By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, Aug 30, 2026 (BSS) – Many farmers in the district are cultivating early varieties of vegetables to fetch higher prices by bringing their produce to the market before the winter vegetable season begins.

Early vegetables are being cultivated in different areas of Paba Upazila, including Haripur, Harian, Damkura, Parila, Bargachhi, Nowhata and Paikpara.

Farmers are cultivating various vegetables, including cauliflower, cabbage, beans, radish, carrot, brinjal, bitter gourd, teasel gourd, bottle gourd, red amaranth and coriander.
Cauliflowers and cabbages grown by farmer Mosharraf Hossain of Ashgram in Paba Upazila are already ready for sale.

His aim is to bring the vegetables to market before the regular season begins and thus earn higher prices. After making a good profit from early vegetable cultivation last season, Mosharraf has cultivated cabbage on 32 bighas of land this year.

He has already sold cabbage from 7.5 bighas of land and earned a profit of about Tk 1.5 lakh per bigha.

During a visit to Mosharraf's field in the Ashgram area of Damkura Union in Paba on Saturday morning, he was seen tending to his cauliflower and cabbage crops.

Sharing his experience of early vegetable cultivation, Mosharraf said, “There is a risk in cultivating early vegetables. Around 2,000 cabbages per bigha may be damaged. But if you can bring the vegetables to the market at the right time, you can get a good price. I made a good profit last time, so this year I have expanded cultivation.”

After deducting all expenses, including production, maintenance and marketing costs, he has made a profit of about Tk 1.5 lakh per bigha.

Meanwhile, farmer Nazrul Islam of Alimganj has cultivated 4,000 early cabbages on 12 kathas of land this year. His production cost has been around Tk 18,000 to Tk 20,000.

He has already sold 200 cabbages at Tk 30 each. If market prices remain favourable, he expects to earn around Tk 1 lakh from the remaining cabbages. After deducting expenses, he hopes to make a profit of about Tk 80,000.

Farmer Mizanur Rahman of Paikpara village in Nowhata Municipality is also busy cultivating early vegetables. While applying fertiliser to his cauliflower field, he said he had cultivated early varieties of cauliflower and cabbage on one and a half bighas of land this year.

He hopes to bring the vegetables to market within the next 20 to 25 days.

Paba Upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist M.A. Mannan said a target had been set to cultivate vegetables on 1,895 hectares of land in Paba Upazila this season.

“The target has already been achieved. A significant portion of the cultivation comprises early varieties of vegetables. Farmers are selecting crops based on market demand, production costs and expected selling prices,” he said.
Mostafa Kamal Hossain, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Rajshahi, said a target had been set to cultivate vegetables on 6,430 hectares of land in the district this season.

Compared with the last few years, early varieties of vegetables have been cultivated on an additional 200 hectares of land this year.