RANGPUR, Jun 16: Vegetables cultivation has helped farmers in eight upazilas of Rangpur district improve their financial condition in recent years. A good number of farmers of the areas have changed their lot by cultivating it.
Farmers who once used to cultivate paddy, wheat, jute and other crops in their fields are now cultivating different varieties of vegetables as the cultivation of it has become more lucrative than the cultivation of other crops.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said, the farmers of all the eight upazilas of the district including Mithapukur, Taraganj, Pirganj, Badarganj, Kawnia upazilas are growing huge quantity of vegetables this year. Use of modern technology and quick compost has boosted the production of vegetables significantly, sources also said.
The farmers are growing eggplant, cucumber, chilli, okra, bitter gourd, arum, pumpkin, parble, snake gourd, spiny gourd and different kinds of spinaches etc. Traders from across the country are purchasing the vegetables and transporting those to their respective areas.
Ahidul (45), a vegetable grower of Tilokpara village under Mithapukur upazila told The Financial Express that he has spent Tk around 15,000 and has already earned about Tk 30,000 by growing okra(ladies finger) on one bigha of land this season. Many farmers of the upazila and other parts of the district have become able to overcome the curse of poverty by growing vegetable, he added.
Roufunnabi (35), a farmer at Chowdhury para village under Taraganj upazila of the district said, he has earned Tk 20,000 so far by cultivating Parble ( Potol) on 40 decimals of land.
Besides, vegetable cultivation has also gained popularity in char areas as well. A good number of ultra poor people especially landless farmers living along river basin are getting financially benefited by cultivating various kinds of vegetables on char lands.
Vegetables growers of the region put emphasis on the need for constructing more cold storages in the district in order to preserve huge quantity of vegetables produced in the region.
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