Sandy shoals that emerged in the Teesta River during winter have become a blessing for many farmers in Lalmonirhat as they have successfully cultivated different kinds of vegetables there.

The shoals(chars) are now full with green vegetables as farmers have cultivated pumpkin, peanut, wheat, maize, paddy, chilli, onion and other vegetables and are expecting good profit due to their good quality and high prices in market.

Farmers said many shoals emerge in the river during dry season but in monsoon the river overflows its banks, causing extensive damages to crops. Both flood and erosion of riverbanks have made the lives of char residents difficult, they said.

When the flood water recedes and shoals emerge in the river, local farmers cultivate vegetables on the fertile and sandy lands to earn livelihood.

Many farmers have cultivated peanuts, cucumber and watermelon but most of the farmers preferred pumpkins due to low production cost and bumper production.

Farmers dig holes on the char and fill it with fertile soil collected from other places. Later they mix compost and sow seeds of the pumpkin.

When the plants grow up, the farmers nurture their plants through irrigation.

A total of 8-10 pumpkins were found from each plant, each weighing 3-4 kg.

Also read: Teesta banks erosion: Over 250 houses in Kurigram washed away in 3 days

Before monsoon, the farmers can harvest their pumpkins and sell them to the local market. Each pumpkin is sold at Tk 50-60.

Masfur Ali, a farmer of Pangatari village in Sadar upazila, said he has no land of his own and there is no alternative to farming to maintain the expenses of the family.

“I planted 1000 pumpkin plants on a char (shoal) land spending only Tk 10,000 but I hope that I will be able to sell my produced pumpkins worth  Tk 40,000,” he said.

Abu Mia, another farmer of the same area, said “I have no place to sow a plant of gourd as my land went into the gorge of the river. I have planted 500 pumpkins on a char land . I hope I can earn Tk 20,000 by selling pumpkins.”

Majibor Rahman, another farmer of the char areas said it is so easy to grow plants on sandy char as there is no need to place bamboo sticks that help the farmers to grow vegetables at low cost, he said.

Expressing dissatisfaction, Majibor said the government has provided intensives but the farmers in the char areas were deprived of it.

Hamidur Rahman, deputy director of Department of Agriculture Extension, Lalmonirhat, said the farmers were given necessary advice regularly.

Deputy assistant agriculture officers, district and upazila level field officers are providing services to the farmers in the char areas, he added.