Ramadan boon to off-season veg farmers

The holy month of Ramadan has come as a boon to the farmers in about 20 districts across the country as they are making good profits by producing vegetables, widely consumed in the fasting month, officials say.
The farmers are now very busy supplying brinjal, cucumber, tomato, coriander leaf, summer chilli, lemon and mint to big cities of the country to make profits by capitalising on their high demand in the holy month.
The prices went up by 80-150 per cent in the last seven days, according sellers at the key kitchen markets in the city.
Brinjal increased to Tk 70-Tk 100 per kg, cucumber Tk 50-Tk 60, coriander leaf Tk 200-220, tomato Tk 60-70, chilli Tk 80-85 per kg and mint Tk 280-300 per kg in the city markets, they said.
Director of the Field Service Wing at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Sheikh Hemayet Hossain told the FE that many farmers in the country grow vegetables targeting the Ramadan every year.
Although it was the peak of the cultivation season for Aman crop, many farmers in about 20 districts are growing a few species of vegetables widely consumed in the fasting month, he said.
Farmers in Manikganj, Jhenidah, Netrokona, Rupganj in Narayanganj, Bogra, Kishoreganj and Magura are growing coriander leaf and chilli, he said.
Farmers in Comilla, Narsingdi, Savar in Dhaka, Gazipur, Rajshahi and Mymensingh are sending brinjal to the city, said the field service wing director.
He also informed the FE that farmers in Mymensingh, Kushtia, Pabna, Sirajganj, Bogra, Rangpur and Narsingdi are growing cucumber while those in Jessore, Habiganj, Netrokona, Satkhira, Rajshahi, Feni and Gazipur are busy farming tomato.
According to the DAE, Savar, Narsingdi and Comilla farmers are sending mint to the cities.
Md Abu Hena, a farmer at Shatibari under Mithapukur in Rangpur district said he had cultivated cucumber on one bigha of land (a bigha equals 33 decimals in his area).
"The production cost was Tk 40,000 and I'm looking to earn Tk 0.12 million in the sales proceeds," he said.
He said cucumber prices in his locality were Tk 8-10 per kg two weeks back. The prices increased to Tk 22-25 per kg now.
Md Kamal Hossain, a farmer at Bajitpur in Kishoreganj, said they were facing a challenge as rain was damaging the coriander leaf and chilli crops.
He said their production cost was increasing due to the seasonal rain.
Despite the increase in cultivation cost, he was expecting a profit of Tk 0.1 million from his chilli and coriander leaf fields on one and a half bighas of land.
Agriculture economist Golam Hafiz Kennedy said farmers themselves had innovative thoughts; they just needed some policy supports.
He said growing some vegetables in their off-season proved economically viable.
The DAE should take programmes to provide farmers with necessary supports on use of quality seeds, appropriate fertiliser and pesticides.    
The farmers have witnessed a price debacle in the Boro season. "Getting some profits from other crops can give them some relief," he added.   
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com
million from his chilli and coriander leaf fields on one and a half bighas of land.
Agriculture economist Golam Hafiz Kennedy said farmers themselves had innovative thoughts; they just needed some policy supports.
He said growing some vegetables in their off-season proved economically viable.
The DAE should take programmes to provide farmers with necessary supports on use of quality seeds, appropriate fertiliser and pesticides.    
The farmers have witnessed a price debacle in the Boro season. "Getting some profits from other crops can give them some relief," he added.   
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com