A two-roofed house with a large yard in front, planted with aubergine, tomato, green chilli and sweet pumpkin, and bean plants on both sides of the house, all heavy with flowers and fruit. Such a garden supplies vegetables to a small family, and the farmer earns money by selling the surplus.

The Ministry of Agriculture built this symbolic homestead, named "Nutrition garden at the homestead", at the Krishibid Institution (KIB) grounds in Khamarbari in the capital for the National Vegetable Fair 2022.

Agriculture Minister Abdur Razzaque opened the three-day fair on the afternoon of Monday (28 February). This year's theme is "Grow safe vegetables, for health and nutrition all 12 months".

The fair is open to all from 9am to 8pm, with a range of farm products on display and vegetables on sale. Twelve government and 35 private organisations are taking part.

The fair is set up on the green on the left as one enters the Krishibid Institution. After the opening at 3pm, buyers and visitors crowded in. Vegetables were selling briskly at the vegetable corners, but the biggest crowds were at the model plots.

One shows a house surrounded by monsoon water, with everything but the living quarters submerged, and how to build a floating vegetable bed on water hyacinth to keep the family supplied with vegetables.

The Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has also set up many plots showing how to control pests without pesticides.

Mahmud Akhter came to Khamarbari from Mohammadpur with his son and daughter. "I come to the fair every year. I buy safe vegetables and introduce the children to different farm products. This time the model plots attracted me most," he said.

Akib Hossain, a resident of Monipuripara in Farmgate, was taking photographs in front of the model rooftop garden. "I saw a model rooftop garden here and learned how to make one. Now I will try to make a garden like this at my own home," he said.

Raihan Raju, an official of the agriculture ministry, was heading home to Mirpur with cauliflower, tomatoes and other vegetables. "Safe vegetables are available at this fair, so I bought some for home," he said.

BADC has set up a large exhibition centre at the fair. Rahmat Ara, senior assistant director of the corporation, said the fair focuses on the nutritional value and benefits of vegetables and on raising awareness of how to keep vegetables safe from production to the plate.

She said the government is committed to ensuring safe and nutritious food for all and is working tirelessly towards that goal. Alongside the government's efforts, farmers and producers, consumers, transporters, processors and everyone else involved need to be made aware, and fairs like this help raise public awareness, she said.

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