Bean vines have climbed over the trellises, with flowers in some places and tender beans hanging in others. Farmers get busy as soon as dawn breaks, some tending the plants and others picking mature beans and getting them ready for market. In the hope of an early harvest and good prices, interest in bean farming has grown this year in the Chutarhuda field of Chougachha upazila in Jashore.
Several farmers, including Rafiqul Islam, Musa Mondal, Noju, Sajedul and Shukur Ali, have grown beans in the same field. Seeing one farmer’s success, those on neighbouring plots have also become interested in early beans.
Rafiqul Islam has grown beans on 10 kathas of land in the Chutarhuda field, and beans from his plot have already begun reaching the market. He is relieved to have sold at good prices at the start of the season. He said he had spent about Tk 30,000 so far on preparing the land, seed, fertiliser, pesticide, building the trellis, labour and upkeep.
“The plants have done very well this time, and the beans came early too. I have already started selling and got a good price. As these are early beans, I hope to get even better prices ahead. If the weather stays favourable, the yield will be good as well,” he said.
Musa Mondal has grown beans on the plot next to Rafiqul Islam’s, Noju and Sajedul on other plots in the same field, and Shukur Ali and several other farmers have planted the crop too. Their cultivation has turned the whole field green, and the beans hanging from the trellises show they are preparing to catch the market at the very start of the season.
Local farmers say that because there is demand for beans, an early harvest offers the chance of good prices. The weather, disease and pests, and swings in market prices are big risks for them, however, so they have to keep an eye on prices as well as on the early harvest.
Chougachha upazila agriculture office sources said no separate target has been set for bean cultivation in the upazila. Against this season’s target for vegetable cultivation, vegetables have so far been grown on 110 hectares, the largest share of it, 42 hectares, in Narayanpur union. Fulsara, Singhajhuli, Patibila and Sukpukuria unions also have vegetable land, and a notable amount is being grown in Swarupdaha union.
The agriculture department’s figures show that vegetable farming is becoming an important area of market-oriented production for many farmers in Chougachha. Recent excessive rain has disrupted vegetable production and supply in various parts of the country, and Chougachha’s farmers are trying to add to market supply by growing early vegetables.
Farmers believe that if supply from other areas is low, early beans and other vegetables can sell at comparatively good prices, covering production costs and leaving room for profit. But early vegetable farming carries risks too: excessive rain, waterlogging, disease and pests, and price swings can upset a farmer’s calculations. Timely farming advice, disease control and market management are therefore important, those concerned say.
According to farmers, growing early vegetables means spending a significant amount on seed, fertiliser, pesticide, trellises and labour, which many cannot afford all at once. More farmers would take up early vegetables if incentives or input support came from the agriculture department, they said.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report