Our Correspondent :
In Hossainpur, Kishoreganj, farmers have started producing vegetables using mulching method by taking education through internet technology in modernization of agriculture. Following this method, vegetable cultivation is becoming more and more popular among the farmers.
Mulching is basically an environmentally friendly method of cultivating non-toxic vegetables in China and Japan. At present, as a pilot program, non-toxic vegetable cultivation has been started in different places in Bangladesh under the initiative of the Department of Agriculture. Local farmers are being encouraged to get better yield and price of non-toxic vegetables produced in this way.
According to the local agriculture office, excessive pesticides are being used in all the vegetables currently produced. Which is very harmful for human body. The Department of Agriculture is constantly innovating various environmentally friendly technologies and methods for the production of non-toxic vegetables. Mulching is one of those environmentally friendly agricultural technologies.
In this method, first the land is prepared with the same amount of food and then rows are made. Those soil rows are covered with polythene. Then vegetable seedlings are planted by rolling polythene at fixed distances through the rows. After planting the seedlings, there is no need to take care of them except taking care of them. Since the soil rows are covered with polythene, it is rare to use pesticides as no fungi or diseases can attack the vegetables from outside. Eggplant and chilli cultivated in this method do not cause any disease.
The cost of production is very low as it does not require much labor to take care of the field. Also the yield is doubled in this method. As this method is very readily available and environment friendly, many farmers are inclined to cultivate vegetables through this method.
Abdul Quddus, a farmer from Barua village in the upazila, said he first saw vegetable cultivation on the internet in this way and cultivated brinjal and chilli on 5 kathas of land as a pilot program. In this method the cost is less so the amount of profit is much higher. However, he said he did not get any cooperation from the local agriculture office.
Upazila Agriculture Officer, agriculturist Imrul Kayes said, “If we cultivate vegetables using mulching method, the profit is much higher.” Already seeing Quddus, many local farmers are contacting us.
In this way, we will provide overall support to the farmers who are interested in vegetable cultivation. He said that the agriculture department is always working to fully implement non-toxic vegetable cultivation.
