MEHERPUR — Fields across Meherpur are filling with winter vegetables as the season begins, and rural markets in the district are swelling with a range of fresh produce, farmers said.
Cauliflower, cabbage, radish, carrots, gourd, beans, bitter gourd, tomatoes and other early-variety vegetables are being grown across the district’s fields. Farmers are busy tending their crops from dawn, while others prepare produce for market.
“This year I have planted early winter cabbage and cauliflower on 15 bighas of land,” said Hafizur Rahman, a farmer at Saharbati field. “Since these are early-variety vegetables, we are getting good prices in the market. The yield has also been good. Cauliflower is selling at 120 taka per kg and cabbage at 60 taka per kg. The profit will be good compared with costs. That is why many farmers are keen to grow these vegetables.”
Selim Reza, a gourd farmer in the same field, said he had planted gourd on one bigha of land and that the yield was good. “Around 400 pieces of gourd are being harvested from the land every day,” he said. “Each gourd is selling wholesale for 30 to 35 taka in the market. Profits are good compared with costs.”
Vegetables from the field are sent to markets in Dhaka, Chattogram and other parts of the country. But Rakib, a bean farmer at Motmura field in the district, complained that production costs are rising because of higher fertilizer and pesticide prices. With the weather unfavorable, more fertilizer and pesticide spray is being applied to the vegetables, he said. Yields are good, however, and prices in the market are strong, with beans selling wholesale at 80 to 100 taka per kg.
Sanjib Mridha, deputy director of the Meherpur Department of Agricultural Extension, said the department supports farmers at all times. “Although production costs are higher this year, farmers are profiting because the cultivation of early winter vegetables has gone well,” he said. “This year, early-variety winter vegetables have been cultivated on 2,280 hectares of land in the district and the production target has been met. After meeting the district’s demand, these vegetables will be supplied to markets in Dhaka, Chattogram, Barishal and other parts of the country.”
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report