Broccoli is a nutritious vegetable but little known in rural towns. It is grown widely in different parts of the country, but because it is unfamiliar, buyers in Lakshmipur are not keen to buy it. This has left Md Harun, a farmer in Kamalnagar, Lakshmipur, in trouble. About 2,500 heads of broccoli have grown in his field, but he cannot sell them.

Officials concerned and the environmental organisation Sobuj Bangladesh are helping Harun sell his crop.

For the first time, broccoli was grown on 8 decimals of land in Lawrence village, Char Lawrence union, Kamalnagar upazila, as an SACP demonstration of high-value crops (vegetables). Harun planted the broccoli seed in early November and, following the agriculture department's advice, got a good yield in three months. Despite its nutritional value, buyers are reluctant to buy the vegetable because it is unfamiliar.

"The broccoli yield has been good, but I am still in trouble because I cannot sell the crop," Md Harun said. "In such a situation farmers will lose interest in growing it. Steps are needed to make it better known in towns and villages along with producing it." Agriculture officers had come to the field to check on the crop, he said, and it only needs fertiliser and pesticide in the right amounts.

According to the district DAE office, broccoli is highly nutritious. Researchers call it the ultimate cancer food, and eating it every day helps prevent cancer. It is rich in vitamin K, vitamin C, folic acid, potassium and fibre, and is very good for health.

Broccoli contains sulforaphane, which helps fight cancer. The low-calorie vegetable also helps keep the heart healthy. It looks like cauliflower, but its florets are deep green like leaves rather than white.

For broccoli, seed is sown in a seedbed in mid-October and transplanted to the main field in mid-November. It flowers within 75 to 85 days. As well as maintaining normal nutrition, including brain development, eyesight, diabetes control and better blood circulation, broccoli is an economically profitable crop, and local farmers are being helped to grow it, the office said.

Ismail Hossain Babu, general secretary of Sobuj Bangladesh, said Harun cannot sell his crop, so the organisation has offered to help. A team is working with him to sell the vegetables.

Kamalnagar upazila agriculture officer Atik Hasan said broccoli is not known to people in the area. It has many nutritional and medicinal qualities, and knowing about them would create interest among consumers. Publicity about the nutritional value of such vegetables can be carried out through the Agriculture Information Service, he said.

Md Monir Hossain, district agricultural marketing officer for Lakshmipur, said the Green Crown variety of broccoli was grown in Kamalnagar for the first time to test its suitability. Harun's hard work produced a good yield, and he hopes other farmers will follow Harun's example and take up the vegetable. "We in the marketing department are helping to market his crop," he said.

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