Plentiful output of summer veg likely

RANGPUR, May 29 (BSS): A bumper production of summer vegetables is expected in Rangpur agriculture region where the farmers have exceeded the fixed farming target by 1.0 per cent during this Kharif-1 season, officials said.

Meanwhile, all varieties of summer vegetables have appeared in plenty in the local markets with excellent price bringing smile to the farmers in all five districts of the region.

The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has fixed a production target of 0.34 million tonnes of summer vegetables from 22,049 hectares of land in Rangpur agriculture region for this season.

"However, the farmers have cultivated summer vegetables on 22,279 hectares of land, 230 hectares or 1.0 per cent higher than the fixed farming target," said Horticulture Specialist of the DAE at its regional office Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam.

The farmers have cultivated summer vegetables on 7,775 hectares of land in Rangpur, 4,590 hectares in Gaibandha, 3,815 hectares in Lalmonirhat, 2,235 hectares in Nilphamari and 3,864 hectares of land in Kurigram districts in the region.

"The DAE and other agriculture related organisations and institutes and NGOs supplied quality seed, inputs, agri-loans and assistance to the farmers to make cultivation of summer vegetables programme a success this season," Islam added.

Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said farmers are showing more interest in farming vegetables under changed cropping patterns as many of them changed fortune by farming both summer and winter vegetables in recent years.