SYLHET, Nov 05: Farmers in Sylhet region are happy enough with the good yield of early variety winter vegetables they have got this season.
Prices of different varieties of winter vegetables are fair amid a good demand in the local markets of the district towns as well as the upazila headquarters, said a number of farmers like Ataur Rahman of village Baushi in Golapganj upazila of Syhet yesterday.
Although the winter is yet to set in, the markets have started receiving good supply of almost all types of vegetables, said Anwar Hossain at Sunamganj town.
Consignments of fresh vegetables are coming aplenty from the villages in Jahangirnagar and Surma unions of Sunamganj Sadar upazila, he said.
Same is the picture of Biswambharpur and Jamalganj upazilas, he added.
Farmers in the villages started farming of different early variety vegetables in mid- September this year, officials said, adding they get almost double price for those due to an increased demand.
Vast areas on the northern bank of the river Surma are now covered with green vegetables.
These include cauliflower, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, pumpkin, bean and snake bean.
There has been a good yield of vegetables on the char land in the region due to huge silt accumulation by the repeated floods this year, said an official at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Sylhet.
Bitter gourd is being sold for Tk 40 to 50 per kg on the wholesale market while on the retail market it is Tk 60 to 70.
Bean is sold for Tk 40 to 50 per kg on the wholesale market against Tk 80 to 90 on the retail market.
Tomato is sold for Tk 70 to 80 per kg on the wholesale against Tk 100 on the retail market.
However, many of the farmers are compelled to sell their produce at lower price fearing loss due to the high transport cost, said Ahmed Hossain of Dakshin Surma in Sylhet.
When contacted, DAE's Deputy Director at the Sylhet divisional office Mazumder Md Ilias told this correspondent that winter vegetables were cultivated on 16,877 hectares of land in the division.
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