A demonstration plot in Chalbala union of Kaliganj upazila in Lalmonirhat has become a shining example of pesticide-free vegetable farming. Natural methods are used there instead of chemicals, and farmers are seeing a promising future for producing healthy vegetables.

It is learnt that on Masud Ahmed's demonstration plot, bitter gourd, cucumber, yardlong bean, radish and other vegetables have been grown on about one acre. Mulching has been used to control weeds and pheromone traps have been set to control insects. Farmers and workers follow rules requiring them to wash their hands and wear masks before entering the field.

Farmer Masud said: "At first I didn't think vegetables could be grown without poison. But now I am seeing on my own land how crops grow this way. The yield is good, and I hope to get a good price in the market too."

Seeing Masud's results, interest is growing among neighbouring farmers. Farmer Atikul Islam said: "Working on the demonstration field I have learnt many new things. I no longer spray poison on the field as before, yet I can get a good yield without harming the environment. I think it will be profitable too. I have told my own son to learn this way of farming."

The Lalmonirhat initiative has opened new possibilities in Rangpur division. Pesticide-free farming is not just a cultivation method but a new awareness movement, in which food becomes as safe as medicine and the farmer becomes the builder of a healthy future.

According to the agriculture department, this good agricultural practice initiative is being implemented by GAP Bangladesh. With the cooperation of the Department of Agricultural Extension, 45 farmers in 35 upazilas of Rangpur division are farming this way. Farmers in the demonstrations have been given all inputs, including quality seed, organic inputs, mulching materials and pheromone traps, and local agriculture officers give regular technical advice and field-level guidance.

Ashok Kumar Roy, senior monitoring officer for the Rangpur region of the good agricultural practice partner programme, said: "The demonstrations cover a total of 10 kinds of vegetables, including bitter gourd and cucumber, and five kinds of fruit. A target has been set to produce safe vegetables and fruit on 300,000 hectares across the country by 2028."

Dr Saikhul Arefin, deputy director of the DAE in Lalmonirhat, said: "Vegetables produced through good agricultural practice are not only environmentally friendly but also completely safe for public health. We want such farming methods to reach every farmer."

Lalmonirhat Deputy Commissioner H M Rakib Haider said: "Farmers, the administration and aware citizens must work together to advance a poison-free food system. People's demand for safe food is growing fast. To meet it, marginal farmers need support and training. That is the direction we are moving in."

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