Chandpur farmers growing early winter vegetables

Farmers in Chandpur are cultivating early winter vegetables to overcome losses caused by the recent natural disasters, including floods.

Most farmers in the district's eight upazilas suffered heavy losses due to the devastating floods, prolonged water-logging, and excessive rainfalls. But they claimed they got no significant assistance from the government. To recover from the losses, they are growing winter vegetables and Boro crops in their fields.

Farmers Ali Ahammad Bepari and Alamgir Miji in Debpur village said most of their fellows were preparing fields to grow winter vegetables. Alamgir said he was growing cucumber on 30 decimals of land, with the possible yield being 100 maunds within 30-35 days. Ali said he was cultivating pumpkin in marshland and would also grow bottle gourd there.

Farmers in Matlab South upazila's Munsurhat, Arong, and Bordia said about 70 per cent of agricultural land in the areas was still soggy. They hoped the land would become dry soon and they would then sow winter vegetable seeds.

The recent calamities damaged standing crops and vegetables, pucca and kutcha roads, bridges, culverts, hatcheries, poultries, tube wells, and dilapidated and thatched houses of impoverished people. The five worst-affected upazilas are Shahrasti, Kachua, Hajiganj, Faridoanj, and Chandpur Sadar. Around 1,600 tube wells in Shahrasti got damaged, creating a serious crisis of pure drinking water.

The total loss amounts to approximately Tk 200 crore, according to upazila and district officials.

The Department of Agricultural Extension's (DAE) Chandpur office said there are about four lakh farmers in the district and most of them were badly affected by the recent calamities.

The affected farmers are taking a keen interest in cultivating early winter vegetables that grow fast and bring in quick profits. They are also growing Boro crops - both hybrid and high-yielding varieties - on 63,980 hectares of land. The yield of Boro is estimated at 279,218 metric tonnes.

Md Mobarak Hossain, an agriculturalist at the DAE Chandpur office, said farmers were sowing vegetable seeds. He said the government had provided farmers in all eight upazilas with cash through bKash as well as seeds and fertilisers.

"Most likely in December, farmers will harvest new potato, sweet potato, bean, red spinach, radish spinach and radish, water spinach, malabar spinach, tomato, carrot, eggplant, sponge gourd, snake gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber, green chilli, pointed gourd, pumpkin, cauliflower, cabbage, okra, papaya, spiny gourd, taro stolon, etc," he added.

Some vegetables have already arrived in Chandpur markets. These are affordable, selling at Tk 40-50 per kg. The vegetables were grown in 30 char areas and highlands across the Meghna River. The land there was not affected by floods or water-logging.

Farmer Shahidul Islam of Kachua upazila's Dumuria village said he had cultivated various vegetables on his 60 decimals of land. Another farmer Shafiul Alam said he was growing bottle gourd, pumpkin, and red spinach and would sell those after a few days to recoup his losses caused by the recent flooding.

The Chandpur DAE office said the target was to bring 5,500 hectares of agricultural land in the district under vegetable cultivation, with an estimated yield of 121,000 metric tonnes.

It said potato would be grown on 7,590 hectares and the expected yield was around 197,340 metric tonnes. Like last year, a bumper potato yield is expected this time if the weather is favourable. Chandpur Sadar, Kachua, and Matlab South have been the major potato-growing upazilas for the past decade.

Sweet potato, garlic, onion, sunflower, green chilli, coriander, wheat, lentil, and legume cultivation targets have also been set. The targets are small.

No target has been set for turmeric, ginger, and cumin cultivation. A few small farmers cultivate these on their house premises to meet their personal needs and make some profits every year. So, Chandpur always depends on other districts to meet the demand for these items, said agriculture officials.

According to the DAE office, about 12,000 hectares of land in 30-32 char areas in Chandpur Sadar, Matlab North, and Haimchar upazilas may be brought under cultivation of these items. This vast land remains fallow for years, said some union parishad chairmen at a recent meeting in Rajrajeshwar union.

Along with providing government incentives, district and upazila agriculture officials should motivate farmers to ensure bumper yields of onion, garlic, and other culinary items, said traders and old farmers.

Naresh Das, Abdul Mannan, and Mobarak Hossain, agriculture experts in Chandpur, told The Financial Express efforts had been made to motivate farmers to cultivate these items in plenty, but to no avail.

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