RAJSHAHI, Sept 16, 2021 (BSS) - Summer cauliflower farming has become a
boon for many grassroots farmers for its economic prospect in the region.

   Cauliflower is mainly a winter vegetable but the farmers have started
cultivating it during the summer season in the region for the last couple of
years to earn more money.

  Abul Kalam, a resident of Fulbari village under Godagari Upazila in the
district, cultivated the cash crop on one and a half bigha of land at
Shreepur block during the current season.

   He has already sold cauliflower worth around Taka 1.5 lakh, making a
profit of around Taka one lakh in the last two months.

   Talking to BSS, Kalam said the cauliflower is being sold at Taka 90 to 100
in retail market. Around one month back, the price was much higher.

   "I have also raised seedbeds of the vegetable for cultivating on around
one and a half bigha of land during the upcoming winter season," he added.

   Entajul Haque, another farmer of the same village, has brought three bigha
of land under cabbage and one bigha under cauliflower during the current
season.

   He has started harvesting and selling cauliflower but cabbage will take 10
to 15 days more for harvesting.

   He's very happy over the current market price of the newly harvested
vegetable, mentioning that he's engaged in vegetable farming for more than 15
years.

   Currently, the vegetable farming is more profitable compared to the cereal
crops, including paddy, he said.

   "We can cultivate different types of leafy vegetables three times a year,"
Haque opined.

  "We are extending technical support to the farmers to make the vegetable
farming profitable," said Atanu Sarker, Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer.

   Vegetables are water-saving crops and its farming contributes to soil
health protection besides improving rural economy, he added.

   Upazila Agriculture Officer Sultana Sarmin told BSS that farmers have
cultivated summer cauliflower and cabbage on around 500 bigha of land only in
Godagari Upazila.

   "Farmers get benefits by farming vegetables. It brings smiles on marginal
farmers and poor people's faces," she said.

   On behalf of the 'Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)' project,
more than 12.58 lakh community people of 2.66 lakh households are being
motivated and encouraged towards farming of the low-water consuming crops,
including vegetables, to reduce the pressure on underground water.

  The project is being implemented in around 1,280 drought-hit villages in 39
Union Parishads (Ups) and three municipalities of eight upazilas in Rajshahi,
Naogaon and Chapainawabganj districts since 2015, said Jahangir Alam Khan,
coordinator of the project.

   Meanwhile, farming of summer vegetables during the current season has
exceeded target everywhere in Rajshahi division creating scopes of getting
additional outputs.

   According to the latest official data, the Department of Agriculture
Extension (DAE) has set a target to produce around 9.15 lakh tonnes of
vegetables from 49,895 hectares of land in the division.

  But, finally, the farmers have brought 53,718 hectares of land under
varieties of summer vegetables.

  At present, most of the kitchen markets in the region are currently buzzing
with all summer vegetables benefiting both growers and consumers.

  Vegetable farming brings smile on farmers' faces here as they are becoming
financially solvent by cultivating various types of vegetables.