M.A. Awal, Narsingdi :
Varieties of early winter vegetables have started appearing in the local retail and wholesale markets of Narsingdi district.
Farmers in different areas including the vast char lands are successfully producing early varieties of winter vegetables like radish, cauliflower, cabbage, gourd, tomato, bean brinjal, lalshak and plungshak. The farmers are happy as they are getting fair prices in the wholesale and retail markets
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials sources said farmers of the district in the meantime have cultivated over 2000 hectares of early variety vegetables out of total 9200 hectares land fixed by DAE for winter vegetables cultivation this season.
BSS correspondent yesterday Saturday visited different villages of Shibpur and Belabo upazila, the main vegetables productive areas of the district found that farmers with enthusiasm harvesting various early winter vegetables from their fields. Talking with Abul Hashem a farmer of Shadarchar village under Shibpur upazila said he cultivated early winter vegetables as radish, cauliflower, bean and gourd on five decimals of land that he spend Tk 2500. He said so far he sold Tk 5000 and hope to sell Tk 8000 to 10000 the rest vegetables of his land.
BSS correspondent also visited different wholesale hats at Shibpur and Belabo upazilas found that farmers are busy selling their productive vegetables. Coulflower are selling atTk 3000 to 4000 per hundred, bean are selling atTk 2000 to 2500 per mounds gourd at Tk 2500 to 4000 per hundred according to its size, brinjal at Tk1600to 2000per mound, A large quantities of vegetables are being transported to Dhaka and other district from Shibpur, Belabo and Raipura upazilas. Local traders said at present more then five trucks are loaded with various vegetables every market day.
Deputy Director DAE,Narsingdi Latafat Hossain said Narsindgi district is a leading vegetable producing areas in the country and usually supplies 30 to 40 percent of its production to the capital and other districts. He said the DAE encouraged the farmers for cultivating poison free vegetables using compost instead of chemical fertilizers and poisonous pesticides.
