Mujibur Rahman of Bhairab has succeeded in growing capsicum, lettuce and sunflower on the same land. He lives at Sarkar Bari in Moutupi village of Sadekpur union in the upazila. He has grown capsicum and lettuce on his land for three years and planted sunflower for the first time this year.

Sadekpur is a haor-ringed union of Bhairab upazila in Kishoreganj district. In the middle of the fields of Moutupi village there is now a blaze of yellow, a spread of yellow flowers across the haor that makes you want to lose yourself among them for a while.

Rows of sunflower plants carry large flowers, yellow to the horizon, and among them is a wide field full of small capsicum and lettuce plants. Hundreds of people from neighbouring areas crowd in every day to enjoy the sight. The fields are alive with the scent of the flowers and the hum of bees.

Sunflowers do not only give people pleasure; they are also used for oil to meet daily food needs. With oil prices up on the world market, the government is encouraging farmers to grow sunflower, including with incentives, to produce oil.

Mujibur Rahman was busy tending the field with his wife when Jago News visited. He said: "At first I learned from the internet and grew capsicum and lettuce on 30 decimals of land. I have been growing them successfully for the past three years. Growing capsicum and lettuce cost Tk 20,000-25,000, but I will be able to sell Tk 1-2 lakh worth."

Seeing his success, farmers from surrounding upazilas are learning how to grow capsicum and lettuce, used in Chinese food, commercially.

"Hoping for a big yield at low cost, I planted sunflower for the first time on 60 decimals of the same land," he said. "Growing sunflower is fairly easy. Three kg of seed per bigha, a little fertiliser and pesticide are enough. Altogether it costs Tk 2,000 to 3,000. You can grow sunflower for next to nothing."

Visitor Md Robin Mia said: "I came to this village to see three crops on the same land. Farmers are becoming more interested in growing crops like these by the day. This is the first time capsicum and lettuce have been grown commercially in Bhairab. Seeing it for the first time today, I really liked it. It was a new experience."

A group of students who came to see the crops said: "We saw capsicum and lettuce being grown for the first time. We really enjoyed seeing this unusual farming. The sunflowers across the haor look very beautiful. We friends took photos together."

Bhairab upazila agriculture officer Agriculturist Aklima Begum said: "Farmer Mujibur Rahman of the upazila has been quite successful growing capsicum, lettuce and sunflower on one plot. Visitors crowd in every day to see capsicum and lettuce, used in fast food, grown on 30 decimals of land with the agriculture department's support."

More than a hundred farmers in Bhairab have grown sunflower under the incentive programme, on haor land in the upazila's seven unions. The varieties sown are Hysun-33 and RDS 275.

"Sunflower has been grown on a total of 4 hectares in the upazila," she said. "The government is giving farmers incentives. To raise farmers' interest in sunflower, we are giving the necessary advice in the field, including regular courtyard meetings."

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.