RAJSHAHI, Sept 04 (BSS): Production of vegetables is now being adjudged as one of the major income-generating activities in the region including its vast Barind tract.
Marginal farmers and poor people in the region are mostly engaged in this venture of producing different vegetables through the best use of spaces around homesteads almost round the year.
Various government and non-government entities concerned including Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) and Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute (BARI) are extending necessary cooperation including training and inputs to the farmers.
On-Farm Research Division (OFRD) of BARI had been implementing various types of need-based programmes to help farmers produce traditional fruits and vegetables round the year.
The growers are now busy with vegetable farming side by side with paddy and jute. More or less rains are experienced since beginning of the season.
As a result, the irrigation-dependent lady's finger, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, brinjal, chilli, cucumber and bottle gourd were cultivated without any irrigation.
Mosharraf Hossain, a farmer of Nawhata Sheepur village under Paba upazila, said he cultivated lady's finger on one bigha of land after taking it on lease at a cost of Tk 8,000. So far, the farming needs no irrigation as a result of necessary rainfalls.
So far, he sold the crop worth Tk 10,000 and expects more production if weather remains favorable. Like him, many others were also benefited by the suitable climate and rainfalls.
OFRD Senior Scientific Officer Dr Shakhawat Hossain told the news agency that the interested farmers were being given preference to use BARI's Tested Pattern Technology in their gardening projects around homesteads.
Rajshahi has been regarded as the country's most prospective vegetable producing region. The farmers have become more interested in vegetable cultivation as they have been gaining more profit during the last couple of years.
Apart from, vegetables' farming becomes more profitable than other crops in recent years bringing fortunes to thousands of farmers and commoners in the region during the past few years.
Dev Dulal Dhali, deputy director of DAE, said use of vacant spaces for producing vegetables has been seen as potential means for gradual development in the life of the downtrodden in the region.
With the increase in population, demand for vegetables is also increasing in the region. Varieties of vegetables are available in the local markets round the years because of regular farming of the crops along with other seasonal fruits and crops, he added.
In terms of food and nutritive values, green vegetables are vital as these are enriched with enormous vitamin A, B, C, calcium and iron which are essential for human body irrespective of age and sex.
Considering its environmental and financial aspects, people are becoming interested in horticulture in their homesteads recently creating a huge demand for fruit saplings, vegetable seeds and saplings of ornamental plants.
© 2025 - All Rights with The Financial Express
