Bumper vegetable yields bring smile for Cumilla farmers

Farmers in different upazilas of Cumilla are eying a bumper production of winter vegetables and fair prices this season for favourable weather condition, reports UNB.

According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), farmers cultivated various high-yielding winter vegetables on 12,920 hectares of land with the production target of 279,000 metric tonnes. This will enable them to harvest vegetables 21.6 metric tonnes per hectare.

They have cultivated a wide verity of vegetables like potato, radish, brinjal, tomato, carrot, cabbage, cauliflower, gourd, and bean. The winter vegetables were cultivated in 1,400 hectares of land in Chandina, 1,130 hectares in Muradnagar, and 650 hectares in Daudkandi. They were also cultivated in 750 hectares in Homna, 1,000 hectares in Adarsha Sadar, 1,330 hectares in Burichang, as well as 540 hectares in Brahmanpara, 590 hectares in Chauddagram, and 220 hectares in Laksam.

"I have cultivated a new variety of gourd on three bighas of land," Abdul Halim, a vegetable grower of Pujkora village in Nangalkot upazila, told Prothom Alo.

Meanwhile, he started selling gourd at Tk 20 to 30 per piece. “Hope, I’ll be able to make a profit of Tk 25,000 to 30,000 per bigha of land.”

Md Hanif of Paikpara village in Lalmai upazila said he cultivated bean on one and a half bighas of land this season and now he is selling per kg bean at Tk 60. “I do hope I’ll be able to make a profit of Tk 50,000 to 60,000 this season,” he said.

Mosharraf Hossain of Jaluyapara village in Sadar upazila said he cultivated radish on one acre of land this time and sold the entire produce and made a profit of Tk 50,000.

After radish, he planted cabbage on the same land and 10 decimals more. “If the weather remains favourable and there’s no major insect attack by the time, then I’ll able to make more profit from cabbage after a few weeks,” a smiling Mosharraf said.

Mizan Mia, another vegetable grower of the same village, said he cultivated cauliflower and radish in his land. “The production of vegetables looks to be very good!”

Surji Chandra Datta, deputy director at Cumilla DAE, said, “We’ve motivated the farmers to cultivate the early variety of winter vegetables. Our farmers will be able, for sure, to achieve the production target.”

Agriculture officials are providing necessary support to the farmers and there is no problem in vegetable cultivation so far, he said.