Tapping the vegetable virtues

The presence of enthusiastic visitors at the 3-day National Vegetable Fair 2018 offered an upbeat sight, and quite evidently at that. The annual fair on vegetables this year concluded at the city's Krishibid Institution on January 16. Like in the previous two years, the event in 2018 was organised by the Agriculture Ministry in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE). With both the dietary and economic aspects of vegetables kept in a wider focus, the number of visitors to the fair this year appears to have increased. It singled out a unique development: remarkable rise in the urban people's awareness of vegetable consumption. The fair has been stressing, since its launch, the great source of nutrition found in vegetables. The message has not lost on the visitors. Queries on preparing and developing small vegetable plots and roof gardens in order to have easy access to pure, meaning toxicity-free, vegetables were plenty. This seemed to be one of the positive features related to organising these fairs. Thanks to the spectacular arrangements for the fair, coupled with a noticeable response from the visitors, including the youths, city people's changing attitude towards this natural product has not failed to emerge as a pleasant reality.

The vegetable event 2018, however, could not gloss over the unpalatable truths. A seminar on the opening day did not mince words. As it has observed, despite the profuse growth of vegetables in the country its level of intake remains poor. Apparently, the availability of different vegetables has long been not commensurate with their high demand. Surveys have shown mere one-third of the country's vegetable consumption can be met by the present volume of their total production. An adult in the country has access to just 60 to 70 grams of vegetable-borne food value a day on average, whereas the requirement stands at 220 grams as per the recommendation by the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). With an increasingly successful and more widely visited fair in place annually, the stark facts sound quite ironic. This lopsided picture may include the exorbitant prices of vegetables in the large cities. The rural people have lately been seen turning to vegetables due to the dearth of fish and meat. But the produce mostly ends up in the urban kitchen markets like that in Dhaka, leaving the villagers deprived of the nutrients found in vegetables.

Ceremonial exhibitions of essential items apparently belong to the segment of routine exercises. Despite a veiled presence of sincerity, outward glitz is quite often found outshining purpose. The vegetable fair is also not much different from these events. Given this prevailing picture, many might not attach much importance to it. They would rather prefer practical and effective focuses on vegetable yields, and increase in its production. However, the scenario of inquisitive fair visitors thronging the fair-ground stalls speaks of a vital fact. Vegetable-related displays can play a major role in popularising its consumption among the people, especially the junk food-loving youths, and also in the increase in its toxicity-free production. It's encouraging to see a section of health-conscious urban youths lately leaning to vegetable dishes. Many expect these youths to come out as a new generation of vegetable lovers.

On a fertile soil like that in Bangladesh, indigenous vegetables as well as those with roots in alien lands have long been seen grow abundantly. Squeezing of cultivable and ideal lands has lately begun standing in the way, prompting farmers to leave their age-old profession. Moreover, reckless use of harmful chemicals in vegetable cultivation has triggered a health-related national alarm. Regular vegetable fairs can make a difference to the state prevailing now.

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