RANGPUR, Feb 11, 2023 (BSS) - Vegetable farming round the year has brought fortune to many farmers alongside keeping the rural economy vibrant despite the global crises caused by the Russia-Ukraine War and Covid-19 pandemic in Rangpur agriculture region.
 
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said vegetable farming has become a lucrative scheme inspiring farmers in cultivating vegetables on more lands adopting newer cropping patterns and latest technologies.
 
Additional Director of the DAE's Rangpur region Agriculturist Mohammad Shah Alam said many farmers have changed fortune through farming vegetables round the year across the region.
 
Getting assistance and easy-term agri-loans, quality seeds, inputs and technologies from the government, farmers are expanding vegetable cultivation during Rabi, Kharif-1 and Kharif-2 seasons and increasing production every year.
 
"After getting repeated bumper production and lucrative prices round the year, farmers are bringing more lands under vegetable farming in the mainland, char areas and homesteads," Alam said.
 
During the last Rabi season, farmers produced 10,10,057 tonnes of winter vegetables from 40,116 hectares of land at an average yield rate of 25,18 tonnes per hectare in the region.
 
Farmers produced 4,89,044 tonnes of vegetables from 27,150 hectares of land during the last Kharif-1 season and 2,52,286 tonnes of vegetables from 14,925 hectares of land in the region during the last Kharif-2 season.
 
Besides, farmers have cultivated winter vegetables on 40,668 hectares of land during the current Rabi season exceeding the fixed farming target by 0.49 percent in the region.
 
"Till Friday, farmers have harvested winter vegetables on 16,385 hectares of land and produced 3,55,766 tonnes of the crop at an excellent average yield rate of 21,71 tonnes per hates of land," Agriculturist Alam added.
 
Deputy Director of the DAE for Rangpur Agriculturist Md. Obaidur Rahman Mondal said consumers are getting varieties of vegetables in local markets as farmers cultivate those in all seasons round the year to earn more profits.
 
Talking to BSS, farmers Farhan Hossain, Borhan Uddin, Faruk Ahmed and Monirul Islam of different villages in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur said they have achieved self-reliance by cultivating vegetables on their farm-lands in recent years.
 
Farmers Shahinur Islam of Char Purbo Mohipur in Gangachara upazila and Aminul Islam of village Char Taluk Shahbaz in Kawnia upazila of Rangpur said they have cultivated varieties of winter vegetables on sandy char lands this season.
 
"We have started harvesting winter vegetables with excellent yield rates and earning rewarding profits to lead a normal life despite the prevailing global crises caused by the Russia-Ukraine War and Covid-19 pandemic," said Shahinur.
 
Vegetables' trader Hafizur Rahman at Rangpur City Market said huge quantities of vegetables are being exported from Rangpur region to Dhaka and other places in all seasons also creating jobs for the day- and farm- labourers.
 
President of Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry Mostafa Sohrab Chowdhury Titu told BSS that there is a brighter prospect of expanding vegetable cultivation further in Rangpur region.
 
"Setting up of agro-based industries for processing the produced vegetables and taking more steps to enhance export of the agro-products could further benefit farmers alongside strengthening the rural economy in the region," he added.