Early vegetables bring new hopes to Barendra farmers

The morning sun had yet to gain its full intensity, but farmers were already busy in the fields of Golai village in Godagari.

Some were planting seedlings, some removing weeds, while others were tending to growing vegetable plants.

The fields are gradually turning green as farmers across the Barendra region are busy cultivating early winter vegetables, hoping to earn good returns by taking advantage of higher market prices at the beginning of the season.

They are cultivating a variety of vegetables, including cauliflower, cabbage, gourd, tomato, beans, ridge gourd, bitter gourd, pointed gourd, eggplant and green chilli.

Among them is Ali Asgar, a farmer from Golai village. After completing his degree in civil engineering, he chose agriculture over a job and returned to farming.

He is now cultivating various early winter vegetables on 10 bighas of his own land. He works in the fields alongside hired labourers from morning to evening, while keeping a close watch on production and crop conditions.

Ali Asgar said he has so far spent around Tk 6 lakh on vegetable cultivation on the 10 bighas.

"If the weather remains favourable, I hope to make a profit of Tk 4-5 lakh after meeting all expenses at the end of the season," he said.

Farmer Mohammad Amin of the Kadamshahar area under Deopara Union is also hoping to make a good profit from early vegetable cultivation.

This season, he has cultivated gourd, eggplant, ridge gourd and beans on four bighas of land at a cost of Tk 1,26,700.

"Unless a natural calamity hits, I expect to earn Tk 3-3.5 lakh from the land," he said.

Amin said training and field-level advice from the Department of Agricultural Extension are helping farmers improve production.

"Especially when diseases attack the crops, it becomes easier to take timely measures and save the plants following the advice of agricultural officials," he said, adding that farmers are also facing no major shortage of fertiliser this season.

Similar scenes of activity are now visible across the fields of the Barendra region. While land is being prepared in some areas, seedlings are being planted in others and farmers are tending to growing vegetable plants elsewhere.

Some early varieties have already started reaching local markets. However, excessive rainfall has caused seedlings to rot at the base in some areas, while insect attacks have damaged leaves in others. Farmers are also facing the risk of various crop diseases.

Despite these challenges, farmers remain hopeful of making a profit from early vegetable cultivation.

The Department of Agricultural Extension is providing field-level support to strengthen their efforts.

Godagari Upazila Agriculture Officer Mariam Ahmed said various early vegetables are being cultivated on around 1,841 hectares of land in the upazila this season.

"Cauliflower, cabbage and early varieties of tomato, among other vegetables, are being cultivated here," she said.

Agricultural officials are regularly visiting fields, identifying crop diseases and providing necessary advice to farmers. They are also encouraging farmers to use organic fertilisers.

In the Barendra region, the target for winter vegetable cultivation has been set at around 15,000 hectares this season.

Farmers have already completed cultivation on more than 3,000 hectares, while land preparation and crop maintenance activities are continuing on the remaining areas.

With favourable weather and proper agricultural support, farmers hope that their green fields will translate into better incomes in the coming winter vegetable season.