BSS, Rangpur :
Cultivation of various crops has become popular on the sandy char lands and dried-up riverbeds in Rangpur agriculture region bringing fortune to thousands of the river-eroded and poor people.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said harvest of various crops cultivated on the dried-up riverbeds and char lands has already begun with excellent yield rates predicting bumper output this season like previous years.
The char and riverside people are happy after getting excellent crop production on the dried-up beds and char lands of the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Ghaghot, Kartoa, Jamuna, other rivers and tributaries. They will complete the harvest before the next rainy season.
Talking to BSS, Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office here Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam said crop cultivation on the shoals and dried-up riverbeds and char lands has become possible due to massive deposition of alluvial soils.
The people living on the char lands and riverside areas have cultivated crops on 91,500 hectares of sandy char lands and dried-up beds in five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season.
They have mostly cultivated potato and other vegetables, onion, green chili, garlic, maize, wheat, Boro rice, gourd, groundnut, ‘kawn’, pulses, ’till’, tobacco, pumpkin, pulses, oil seed and watermelon on these lands.
“The char and riverside people have already completed harvest of their cultivated mustard, onion and vegetables. The process for other cultivated crops will begin soon and end by late May before rainy season,” Islam added.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said crop cultivation on char lands and dried-up riverbeds is increasing in Rangpur agriculture region.
“About 20,000 char households, who are beneficiaries of different government organisations and NGOs, have cultivated pumpkin, other vegetables and crops in over 220 villages of 22 upazilas in five districts of the region this season,” he said.
Talking to BSS, river-eroded people Mohsin Ali, Karim Uddin and Morsheda Begum of village Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila here said many families of the village have cultivated crops on the dried-up Teesta riverbed this year.
They said a farmer spent Taka 18,000 on an average each for cultivating pumpkin on 200 raised sandbars this time to sell the produced pumpkin at about Taka 42,000 to earn a net profit of Taka 24,000 after completing the harvest.
“I have cultivated pumpkin, onion, garlic and vegetables on the dried-up beds of the river Teesta and will complete harvesting those by the first week of April,” said riverside farmer Anwar Hossain of the same village.
Char dwellers Akbar Hossain, of village Char Montola, Sultan Hossain of Korai Barisal, Moyna Bibi of Kheruar Char, Afsar Ali of Char Goynar Patal on the Brahmaputra in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram said they are expecting bumper crop production.
They have mostly completed harvest of their cultivated mustard, onion and vegetables and will start harvesting other crops like pumpkin, garlic, wheat, tobacco and other crops.
Cultivation of various crops has become popular on the sandy char lands and dried-up riverbeds in Rangpur agriculture region bringing fortune to thousands of the river-eroded and poor people.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said harvest of various crops cultivated on the dried-up riverbeds and char lands has already begun with excellent yield rates predicting bumper output this season like previous years.
The char and riverside people are happy after getting excellent crop production on the dried-up beds and char lands of the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Ghaghot, Kartoa, Jamuna, other rivers and tributaries. They will complete the harvest before the next rainy season.
Talking to BSS, Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office here Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam said crop cultivation on the shoals and dried-up riverbeds and char lands has become possible due to massive deposition of alluvial soils.
The people living on the char lands and riverside areas have cultivated crops on 91,500 hectares of sandy char lands and dried-up beds in five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season.
They have mostly cultivated potato and other vegetables, onion, green chili, garlic, maize, wheat, Boro rice, gourd, groundnut, ‘kawn’, pulses, ’till’, tobacco, pumpkin, pulses, oil seed and watermelon on these lands.
“The char and riverside people have already completed harvest of their cultivated mustard, onion and vegetables. The process for other cultivated crops will begin soon and end by late May before rainy season,” Islam added.
Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said crop cultivation on char lands and dried-up riverbeds is increasing in Rangpur agriculture region.
“About 20,000 char households, who are beneficiaries of different government organisations and NGOs, have cultivated pumpkin, other vegetables and crops in over 220 villages of 22 upazilas in five districts of the region this season,” he said.
Talking to BSS, river-eroded people Mohsin Ali, Karim Uddin and Morsheda Begum of village Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila here said many families of the village have cultivated crops on the dried-up Teesta riverbed this year.
They said a farmer spent Taka 18,000 on an average each for cultivating pumpkin on 200 raised sandbars this time to sell the produced pumpkin at about Taka 42,000 to earn a net profit of Taka 24,000 after completing the harvest.
“I have cultivated pumpkin, onion, garlic and vegetables on the dried-up beds of the river Teesta and will complete harvesting those by the first week of April,” said riverside farmer Anwar Hossain of the same village.
Char dwellers Akbar Hossain, of village Char Montola, Sultan Hossain of Korai Barisal, Moyna Bibi of Kheruar Char, Afsar Ali of Char Goynar Patal on the Brahmaputra in Chilmari upazila of Kurigram said they are expecting bumper crop production.
They have mostly completed harvest of their cultivated mustard, onion and vegetables and will start harvesting other crops like pumpkin, garlic, wheat, tobacco and other crops.
