Seed production of leafy vegetables has changed the fortunes of many farmers in Jibannagar upazila of Chuadanga and transformed the rural economy. Their farming was once limited to IRRI-boro and aman rice and a few common vegetables. Now they grow different varieties of red amaranth using modern methods and earn lakhs of taka from the seed.

Success in producing red amaranth seed on paddy land has brought smiles to local farmers, and seed production has become very popular. Because it brings high profits in a short time with little capital, farmers here are turning to it more every year, and the upazila has seen a quiet revolution in vegetable seed production.

According to the Jibannagar Upazila Agriculture Office, high-yielding varieties of red amaranth have been grown this season on 237 hectares in the villages of Abdulbaria, Dehati, Kashipur, Anantapur, Nishchintapur, Purandapur, Banka and Muktarpur. This is expected to produce 570 tonnes of seed, which will earn farmers Tk 8 crore 53 lakh.

In remote parts of the upazila, the fields look as if a red cover has been laid over the green.

Shukur Ali, a successful seed grower from Andulbaria village, said he was the first in the area to start producing leafy-vegetable seed, 15 years ago. That year he spent Tk 1,000 on one bigha of land and sold the seed for about Tk 15,000. The big profit led him to farm more land the following year. This year he has grown the crop on 5 bighas and expects to produce 40 maunds of seed, which he hopes to sell for Tk 2 lakh 40 thousand.

He said the land is ploughed and fertilised well in the month of Agrahayan to prepare it. Seedlings emerge 10 to 15 days after sowing, the plants are cut and the seed collected after four months, and each bigha yields 6 to 8 maunds of seed.

From land preparation to seed collection, each bigha costs Tk 8,000 to 10,000. The seed sells for Tk 35,000 to 48,000, leaving a profit of Tk 25,000 to 40,000 a bigha after all costs.

Shukur Ali is not alone. Following his example, many farmers have started producing seed from their vegetables and have gradually made it their livelihood. Thousands of farmers in Abdulbaria, Dehati, Kashipur, Anantapur, Nishchintapur, Purandapur, Banka and Muktarpur have changed their fortunes by producing vegetable seed.

Farmers said the rent for land suitable for vegetables has gone up, and rising prices of farm inputs have pushed production costs somewhat higher.

Jibannagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Sharmin Akter said the land in the Andulbaria area of the upazila is particularly suited to vegetables and the farmers there are experienced growers. Using improved farming technology, they have opened a new horizon for the rural economy through vegetable cultivation.

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