BSS, Rajshahi :
Crops and vegetables farming of in charlands (riverbed) has opened up new door of success as most of the growers are now making profit by dint of their bumper production of winter vegetables including some cereal crops like wheat and maize.
In order to attain financial solvency, the farmers were seen tilting towards large-scale commercial vegetable farming in vast char areas in Rajshahi and Chapainawabganj district staging a silent revolution in this field.
While visiting to some of the remotest and hard-to-reach areas, this reporter witnessed success of many of the farmers cultivating cauliflower, cabbage, potato, brinjal, bottle guard, tomato and onion.
In addition to homestead gardening, the farmers cultivated vegetables on more lands this year than previous years as climatic condition remains favourable despite a little bit high price of some inputs like fertilizer and seed.
After meeting the local demands, the surplus vegetables are being supplied to different parts of the country including Dhaka benefiting the consumers in general.
“I have cultivated cauliflower and cabbage on an acre of land by spending Taka 25,000. I am very much hopeful of sale-proceeds valued at least Taka 75,000 within this harvesting season,” said Mozahar Hossain, a farmer of Bazubagha Natunpara village under Bagha upazila.
Some other farmers including Abul Hossain and Mozammel Haque of Amadpur village also revealed the similar dreams with smiling faces.
Chars emerging in the rivers of Padma and Mohananda are bringing fortune to many farmers in Paba, Godagari and Bagha upazilas of Rajshahi and Sadar and Shibganj upazilas of Chapainawabganj districts for the last couple of years.
Principal Scientific Officer of Regional Wheat Research Station Dr Ilias Hossain said many farmers were seen showing success in wheat and maize farming in the charlands after the best uses of the modern technologies.
Hundreds of farmers in the two districts are now very happy as deposit of alluvial silt in the char areas has given them an opportunity to cultivate various crops and vegetables in their fields, said Mustafizur Rahman, additional director of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
All varieties of winter vegetables have now appeared in abundance in the local markets and the yield rates achieved so far are found to be higher than that of the target due to early farming of the vegetables.
Farmers are being habituated with homestead gardening through establishing projection plot of improved technologies adjacent to the localities for enhancing vegetable output.
Modern technologies are being transferred to the growers level through farmers training, projection plot, field day and different types of campaign so that the farmers could make their cultivation more effective and profitable.
Agriculturist Rahman says emphasis is being given to increasing production of high yielding seeds and saplings through farmers’ level extension and application of the high yielding varieties.
