Connect with us

Agriculture

Rangpur farmers exceed Kharif-1 vegetable farming target

Farmers have exceeded the fixed farming target of summer vegetables in Rangpur agriculture region where its harvest continues with excellent yield rate predicting a bumper production during this Kharif-1 season.

“Early varieties of summer vegetables have already appeared abundantly in markets with rewarding prices making farmers happy,” said Additional Director of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) for Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Aftab Hossain.

Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of producing four lakh 94 thousand and 873 tonnes of summer vegetables from 28,605 hectares of land for all five districts in the region during the current Kharif-1 season.

Farmers have finally cultivated summer vegetables on 28,828 hectares of land exceeding the fixed farming target by 223 hectares of land or 0.75 percent in the region.

“Farmers are expanding cultivation of vegetables in all seasons round the year after getting repeated bumper productions with lucrative prices every year and many of them have achieved self-reliance in the region,” Hossain said.

Deputy Director at Burirhat Horticulture Centre in Rangpur of the DAE Agriculturist Md. Abu Sayem said farmers are expanding cultivating summer vegetables adopting newer cropping patterns to enhance production and reap more profits in recent years.

The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute and other organisations provided high quality seeds and technologies to farmers to make the intensive summer vegetable cultivation program a success.

“In addition, different banks, including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and NGOs disbursed easy-term agriculture loans to farmers to assist them in making the massive winter vegetable farming program successful this season,” Sayem added.

Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mondal said many farmers have achieved self-reliance through farming vegetables in the last 14 years in Rangpur and other districts across the region.

Talking to BSS, farmers Nayeem Uddin, Tareq Mahmud, Zulfiquer Ahmed and Dulal Chandra of different villages in Gangachara upazila of Rangpur expressed happiness over excellent output of summer vegetables and fair prices.

Similarly, farmers Lokman Hossain, Anwarul Azim, Solaiman Ali and Mostafizur Rahman of different villages in Kawnia upazila here said they are expecting a bumper production of summer vegetables cultivated during this Kharif-1 season.

Vegetable trader Harun Ar Rashid at Rangpur City Bazar said farmers are selling varieties of summer vegetables at rates between Taka 15 and Taka 40 per kilogram depending on varieties to the middlemen after harvesting on their crop fields.

“The retail prices are, however, higher by Taka 10 to Taka 15 per kilogram in local markets as some vegetables are being perished during transportation, preservation and the whole marketing process,” he said.

Vegetable retailer Al Amin at the same market said most varieties of summer vegetables are now being sold to consumers at rates between Taka 20 and Taka 45 per kilogram. (BSS)

Advertisement

Trending Now