High prices help early-winter veg growers make good profit

MANIKGANJ, Nov 05 (UNB): Farmers of the district are satisfied over the prices they have received so far for their produce in the early part of the winter.
High demand for a variety of winter vegetables grown by the farmers has helped them earn healthy profits.
During a recent visit, this correspondent found that the farmers here have cultivated a wide variety of early winter vegetables including cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, green gourd, red amaranth, radish, tomato and brinjal.
Now they are passing a very busy period taking care of the vegetables in their fields from morning to dusk.
Many of them have started collecting their produce from the fields and selling them to local retailers as well as wholesale markets every day, farmers said.
Fertile land and favourable weather conditions have led to the high growth of the vegetables and fuelled hopes among the farmers of realising a bumper crop this season too, said officials at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
Farmers in seven upazilas have cultivated over 3,860 hectares of land under early variety winter vegetables. That is out of a total of 9,691 hectares land fixed by DAE. Farmers in Singair, Sadar and Saturia upazilas were the most successful.
The production target is 200,000 tonnes which is 20,000 tonnes more compared to last year's corresponding fire. Local traders from here are supplying vegetables to different neighbouring districts as well as the capital city every day.
Nurul Haque, vegetable-grower of Hargaz village of Saturia upazila, said he cultivated 23 bighas (one acre equals 3 bighas) of land costing Tk 2.4 million to 2.5 million, including eight bighas for some early winter cabbage and cauliflower.