On a Jamuna char at Maltipara village in Hugra union, Tangail Sadar, farmer Ariful Islam is raising early winter vegetable seedlings in a poly-shade house. The upazila agriculture office says the house was set up on 5 decimals of his land in 2025-26 under the "Modern Agricultural Technology Extension in Char Areas of Bangladesh" project, Banglavision reports.
The problem it tackles is an old one: in the open field, seedlings are lost to heavy rain, harsh sun, severe cold and pests. The shed, built of polythene, iron and bamboo, shelters them from all of these and controls temperature and humidity inside. Seedlings suffer less disease than with conventional methods, and their quality and survival rate are higher.
Instead of soil the seedlings grow in cocopeat, a natural fibre made from coconut husk. It holds moisture for a long time and lets air reach the roots, reducing root rot and other diseases and producing sturdy plants.
The house now produces early seedlings of beans, cabbage, cauliflower, chilli, tomato and other winter vegetables. Ariful Islam said each seedling costs about 70 paisa to produce and sells for Tk 1.50 to Tk 2.50 wholesale and retail. Because he can supply them before the season starts, demand and prices are both higher, and neighbouring farmers are now keen to follow.
Project director Md Ziaur Rahman, Md Shahedur Rahman, a director of the planning ministry's Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Division (IMED), and Md Shoaib Mahmud, additional director (horticulture) of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Tangail, recently visited Maltipara to see the seedling house, irrigation using low-lift pumps (LLP) and a vermicompost demonstration.
Tangail Sadar upazila agriculture officer Rumana Akter said the poly-shade house is a modern, effective technology for raising seedlings of high-value fruit, flowers and safe vegetables, allowing early seedlings even in bad weather and bringing lasting change to farming on the Jamuna and Dhaleshwari chars. Project director Ziaur Rahman said it would raise char farmers' incomes and diversify their farming.
The report was filed by Banglavision's Tangail correspondent.
Source: Banglavision
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