Farmers in Jibannagar upazila are increasingly adopting inter-cropping methods, cultivating multiple crops simultaneously on the same land to maximize economic benefits with minimal additional cost.
Across villages like Uthali, Monohorpur, Andulbaria, Kashimpur, Raypur, Hasadaha, Banka, and border areas, farmers are growing fruits like sugarcane, banana, guava, dragon fruit, and papaya alongside winter vegetables and pulses including cabbage, cauliflower, pumpkin, radish, carrot, brinjal, coriander, beans, tomato, onion, garlic, and various leafy greens.
Abdul Malek, a farmer from Uthali village, shared his experience: "I've cultivated cabbage in one bigha of my three-bigha guava orchard, with cauliflower and brinjal in the rest. The fertilizers and pesticides applied for guava also benefit the inter-crops, requiring no extra cost. I've already started selling brinjal - this extra income feels like a bonus."
Shafiqul Islam from Hasadaha village explained the risk management aspect: "It's difficult to predict which crop will be profitable. By inter-cropping onion, garlic, and coriander leaves in my Malta orchard, if one crop fails, another compensates. With inter-cropping, we never face total loss."
Another farmer, Shamim Hossain, described his practice: "I'm growing mustard and lentils between sugarcane rows and cowpea seeds in another sugarcane field. Since sugarcane is a long-duration crop, we harvest the inter-crops first. The organic manure applied for sugarcane sufficiently nourishes the inter-crops, and the additional income helps cover land lease and production costs."
Jibannagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Md. Alamgir Hossain confirmed the growing interest, stating, "Inter-cropping offers additional income opportunities while reducing crop diseases and providing multiple harvests from the same land with similar input costs. The stems and leaves of inter-crops also create high-quality green manure. We're providing farmers with necessary advice and support to encourage this practice."
