RAJSHAHI, Aug 30, 2022 (BSS) - Summer cauliflower is making both farmers and
consumers happy as the vegetable crop has been appearing in both wholesale
and retail markets for the last couple of weeks satisfactorily.
 
The non-season vegetable is giving better profit to the growers compared to
the winter season at present, inspiring more people to cultivate the cash
crop in the region, including its vast Barind tract.

Cauliflower is mainly a winter vegetable but the farmers have been
cultivating it during the summer season in the region for the last couple of
years to earn more money as the consumer-level demand is gradually mounting.

As a whole, it has become a boon for many grassroots farmers for its economic
prospect in the region side by side with bringing crop diversity and making
the local economy vibrant.  

Muhammad Milon, 45, a farmer of Golai village under Godagari Upazila in the
district, has cultivated cauliflower on around 12 bigha of land and has been
selling its for the last six to seven days.

"I have already sold the product of one bigha of land at Taka 1.60 lakh on
the spot last week," said Milon, adding that the production cost was around
Taka 30,000 to Taka 35,000.

Normally, early harvest of most of the vegetable crops either in summer or
winter is always lucrative to the growers as its price becomes to a greater
extent compared to the peak season.

Milon has started cultivating cauliflower and cabbage on around 30 bigha of
land in June last and will continue the farming till the coming winter
repeatedly in multiple phases.

Monirul Islam, a resident of Dhamila village, said the cauliflower is being
sold at Taka 90 to 100 in retail market. Around one week back, the price was
much higher.
 
"I have brought six bigha of land under cabbage farming during the current
season and around 10-15 more days are needed to harvest those," he added.

Talking to BSS here Monday, Sub Assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Saker
said they are witnessing more interest among the farmers towards summer
cauliflower and cabbage farming in the region.

Currently, around 40 enthusiastic farmers of six villages are seen
cultivating the high-valued crops on around 300 bigha of land only in
Iswaripur block of Dewpara Union and most of them are delighted over the
farming.

"We are extending technical support to the farmers to make the vegetable
farming profitable," said Atanu Sarker, adding that the vegetable farming is
more profitable compared to the cereal crops, including paddy.

Mozder Hossain, Deputy Director of Department of Agriculture Extension, told
BSS that cauliflower and cabbage are being cultivated on around 20 hectares
of land in the district at present. Godagari, Paba, Puthiya and Durgapur
Upazilas are seen dominating in this field.

"Farmers get benefits by farming vegetables. It brings smiles on marginal
farmers and poor people's faces," he said.
 
On behalf of the 'Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM)' project, more
than 12.60 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.