During a recent visit, this UNB Correspondent found that the farmers here have cultivated a wide variety of early winter vegetables including cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, green gourd, red amaranth, radish, tomato, brinjal, etc.
Now they are passing a very busy period taking care of the vegetables in their fields from morning to dusk. Many of them have started collecting their produce from the fields and selling them to local retailers as well as wholesale markets every day, farmers said. 

Fertile land and favourable weather conditions have led to the high growth of the vegetables and fuelled hopes among the farmers of realising a bumper crop this season too, said officials at Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
Farmers in seven upazilas have cultivated over 3,860 hectares of land under early variety winter vegetables. That is out of a total of 9,691 hectares land fixed by DAE. Farmers in Singair, Sadar and Saturia upazilas were the most successful.

The production target is 200,000 metric tonnes which is 20,000 metric tonnes more compared to last year’s corresponding fire. Local traders from here are supplying vegetables to different neighbouring districts as well as the capital city every day.  

Talking to UNB, Nurul Haque, vegetable-grower of Hargaz village of Saturia upazila, said he cultivated 23 bighas (1 acre equals 3 bighas) of land costing Tk 24-25 lakhs, including eight bighas for some early winter cabbage and cauliflower.

He has sold all the vegetables from his early cultivation field and what he felt was a fair market price. He earned over Tk 1 lakh profit from the eight bighas he kept for early cultivation keeping in mind the high demand for winter vegetables in the markets.

Besides, the cultivation of another eight bighas is going on in full swing and continues till the end of the current month. He could make profit of Tk 5-6 lakhs this season, he hoped.

Atiar Rahman, cucumber grower of Raillah village of the same upazila, said he cultivated early cucumber on 1 bigha of land this season. He earned a profit of Tk 30,000 for his efforts, while Anwar Hossain, red amaranth grower of the same village, is happy at the thought of bumper production with fair market price.   

Nazim Uddin and Afzal Hossain of Kalandi village of Singair upazila said they have cultivated green gourd and cucumber on four bighas of land. They are hoping for a fairly quick profit following the good growth of the vegetables due to favourable weather condition.

DAE Deputy Director M Habibur Rahman said the farmers here may see bumper production thanks to the favourable weather during the early winter season.

The DAE agriculture officials are always giving suggestion to the farmers going to the fields besides the upazila office.