Growers making handsome profit from winter vegetable cultivation

JOYPURHAT, Jan 8: A good number ultra-poor peasants of Joypurhat district are making handsome profit from cultivating winter vegetables commercially in this current season due to its good market price.

According the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office source, the farmers of all five upazilas of the district have brought over 23,800 hectares of land under winter crops cultivation against 22,000 hectares of land fixed by DAE.

In a recent visit the correspondent found the farmers are taking care of the vegetable field defying severe adverse weather condition from the very early in the morning to late at afternoon. They are making good profit as the demand of the vegetables is increasing gradually in the district.

The wholesalers of the different district visit the big kitchen markets in a view to purchase the crops from the farmers directly with satisfactory market price, said farmer Alamin Hossain, 34, under Akkelpur upazila of the district.

Everyday minimum five loaded trucks are being sent with winter vegetables from the big kitchen markets mitigating local demand from Akkelpur, Kalai, Khetlal, Pacbibi and sadar upazilas of the district. The peasants are getting a bumper production and good market price in this season compared to previous year.

To grow a bigha of winter vegetable the farmers need to spend average Tk 9,000 and they can make over Tk 50,000 if the price remains good, said sub-assistance agriculture officer Azizur Rahman. "We have taken all sort of necessary agri-based enterprise to make the cultivation a grand success," he added.

"I have cultivated some winter vegetable on 34 decimal of land investing Tk 4,550 aiming financially self-reliant and make over Tk 30,000 paying production cost till first week of January," said farmer Anu Jalal, 54, under Pachbibi upazila of the district.

Deputy Director (DD) of DAE Sudhindranath Ray said the farmers' have shown more interest to bring the winter crop on a large scale as they got a noticeable financial support previous year. They have already started getting good profit from the last couple of months, he added.

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