Rajshahi, Oct 05 (V7N) – Farmers across Rajshahi, particularly in Tanore and neighbouring areas, are turning increasingly to early-season vegetable cultivation, raising hopes of higher earnings from winter crops.
From the early morning, farmers in the Kaliganj fields of Tanore are busy preparing land, planting seedlings, removing weeds and tending vegetable plants. Fields in the area are gradually turning green as farmers seek to bring early winter vegetables to market and take advantage of potentially higher prices.
Similar activity is visible in the fields of Piarpur, Bhimnagar and Palsha villages in Mohanpur, near the Tanore border. Farmers are cultivating cauliflower, cabbage, bottle gourd, bean, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, eggplant and green chilli.
Farmers said favourable weather could allow them to harvest and sell the vegetables early in the season, potentially bringing better returns.
Among them is Ali Hossain, a farmer from Ghashigram village in Mohanpur. After completing his studies, he chose farming instead of pursuing a job. He is now cultivating various early winter vegetables on five bighas of land and works in the fields alongside hired workers.
Ali Hossain said he had spent around Tk 3 lakh on vegetable cultivation on the five bighas. If weather conditions remain favourable, he expects to earn a profit of Tk 2 lakh to Tk 3 lakh after recovering his costs.
Another farmer, Mohammad Amin of Kadamshahar in Deopara Union of Godagari, has cultivated bottle gourd, eggplant, ridge gourd and beans on four bighas.
He said he had spent Tk 1 lakh 26 thousand 700 on cultivation and expects gross earnings of Tk 3 lakh to Tk 3.5 lakh if the crops are not affected by natural disasters.
Mohammad Amin said training and field-level advice from the agriculture department had helped farmers improve production. He said farmers were also able to respond more effectively to pest and disease attacks by following advice from agricultural officials. He added that there had been no major difficulty in obtaining fertiliser this season.
Across Rajshahi, farmers are now busy preparing fields, planting seedlings and tending growing crops. Some early varieties of vegetables have already started appearing in local markets.
However, farmers are also facing challenges. Excessive rainfall has caused root rot in some seedlings, while pest attacks and other crop diseases remain a concern. Despite these risks, many farmers remain optimistic about the season.
The agriculture department is providing field-level support to strengthen vegetable production. Mohanpur Upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist Kamrul Islam said around 226 hectares of land in the upazila were being used for early vegetables this season, including cauliflower, cabbage and early varieties of tomato.
Agriculture officials are regularly visiting fields, identifying crop diseases and providing farmers with necessary advice. They are also encouraging the use of organic fertilisers.
Rajshahi Department of Agricultural Extension Deputy Director Mostafa Kamal Hossain said the district had set a target of cultivating winter vegetables on around 15,000 hectares this season.
More than 3,000 hectares have already been brought under cultivation, while farmers are continuing preparations and crop management on the remaining land, he said.
The growing adoption of early vegetable cultivation is creating new income opportunities for farmers across Rajshahi, while also increasing the supply of fresh vegetables to local markets ahead of the peak winter season.
END/MRA/SMA/
