Farmers are happy getting excellent production with satisfactory prices of vegetables cultivated during this winter season in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said harvest of winter vegetables is nearing completion with excellent yield rate predicting a bumper production of the crops this season.
The DAE had fixed a target of producing 9,62,103 tonnes of winter vegetables from 41,073 hectares of land for Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat and Nilphamari districts in Rangpur agriculture region.
However, farmers finally have cultivated winter vegetables on 40,116 hectares of land, less by 957 hectares of land or 2.32 percent against the fixed farming target in the region.
"Farmers have already harvested vegetables on 33,565 hectares of land producing 8,17,516 tonnes of the crop with an average yield rate of 24.36 tonnes per hectares," said Additional Director of the DAE's Rangpur region Agriculturist Md. Tauhidul Ikbal Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Obaidur Rahman Mandal said cultivation of vegetables has become a popular venture both in the mainland and char areas in the region bringing huge profits to farmers.
Following various pragmatic steps taken by the government, including distribution of incentives among farmers, cultivation of vegetables during winter, summer and Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 seasons has become popular round the year bringing huge profits to farmers.
"The DAE, Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation and other organisations provided quality seeds of winter vegetables, incentives, agri-inputs and technical assistance to farmers," he said.
Commercial banks including Rajshahi Krishi Unnayan Bank and NGOs are disbursing easy-term agriculture loans among farmers to make the intensive vegetables farming programs successful in all seasons round the year.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rahman Rashid said expanded cultivation of vegetables both on the main lands and char areas have helped farmers a lot in tackling the crisis during the Covid-19 pandemic. "Cultivation of vegetables is expanding every year following repeated bumper production with lucrative prices changing the fortune of many farmers across the region in the last 13 years," he added.
A number of farmers said continuous harvest of winter vegetables with excellent yields and lucrative market prices made them happy bringing excellent profits this season.
Vegetable trader at Shothibari Bazar in Mithapukur upazila here Lokman Hossain said vegetables traders are exporting huge winter vegetables to capital Dhaka city and other parts of the country daily by trucks from different points of the region.
"Some 120 trucks loaded with vegetables are being sent to the capital city and other places daily from Rangpur agriculture region," Hossain said, adding that the market price of winter vegetables has started soaring as the season is nearing completion.