RANGPUR, May 22 (BSS): The farmers are happy getting bumper production of all varieties of vegetables with excellent market prices during the just ended Rabi season in Rangpur agriculture region.
"The farmers produced 0.86 million tonnes of vegetables worth Tk 21.70 billion from 39,340 hectares of land this time, said Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam, horticulture specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) at its regional office.
Earlier, the farmers cultivated vegetables on 39,340 hectares of land exceeding the fixed target of bringing 37,729 hectares under its cultivation to produce 0.78 million tonnes of the output by 1,611 hectares of land this time in the region.
Meanwhile, the farmers have already exceeded the fixed vegetables' farming target by bringing 22,089 hectares of land under its cultivation against the target of producing 0.34 million tonnes of vegetables from 22,049 hectares during the current Kharip-1 season.
"The farmers are expected to bring more land under cultivation of vegetables as sowing of seed is continuing in all five districts under Rangpur agriculture region during the Kharip-1 season", Mr Islam added.
The farmers are generally selling every kg of vegetables at Tk 25 during the Rabi season and Tk 30 during the Kharip-1 season on an average.
Officials of the DAE and farmers said the middlemen, intermediaries and traders are marketing the vegetables at almost double rates or even more to consumers than the rates they purchase from the farmers.
Deputy Director of the DAE regional office Md Moniruzzaman said the farmers are producing around 1.21 million tonnes of vegetables worth over Tk 30.25 billion annually on an average bringing fortune to thousands of farmers in the region.
Moniruzzaman said the farmers are mostly cultivating vegetables like bitter gourd, bean, snake gourd, long garden bean, pointed gourd, teasel gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber, pumpkin', bottle gourd, brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, chilli, onion, garlic and many other varieties.
Successful vegetables farmer Ariful Haque, Ramjan Ali, Abdus Salam and many others of Ranipukur village under Mithapukur upazila here narrated their success stories on way to achieve self-reliance through farming various vegetables in recent years.
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