Winter vegetables have been planted on 1,200 hectares in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram this season, and the fields are now lush and green. Farmers across the upazila's 16 unions and two municipalities are profiting from winter vegetable farming.

Beans have been planted on 660 hectares, red amaranth on 50 hectares, sweet pumpkin on 65 hectares and bottle gourd on 90 hectares, along with seedlings of spinach, radish greens, aubergine, tomato, cabbage, cauliflower, yardlong beans and other winter vegetables. Most vegetables are grown in Durgapur, Khoiyachhara and Wahedpur unions.

In the fields, farmers are busy with rabi-season winter vegetables. Some are harvesting, some spraying pesticide and others clearing weeds. Radish, beans, cabbage, cauliflower, yardlong beans, bottle gourd, chilli and tomato are being grown across fields in Wahedpur, Khoiyachhara, Ambaria, Durgapur, Azamnagar and other areas. Farmers tend their vegetables from morning to evening, and many are already taking early vegetables to market.

Jane Alam, a farmer from Azamnagar, said: "This year, alongside other vegetables, I've grown early cucumber on 40 decimals of land. It cost me about Tk 32,000. So far I've sold Tk 35,000 worth of cucumber, and I can keep selling for about another month. In all I'll be able to sell Tk 80,000 worth."

Sahab Uddin, a farmer from Moddhom Wahedpur village in Wahedpur union, said: "This time I grew bottle gourd and red amaranth. They're almost sold out, and I got good prices. I've grown yardlong beans on some land and they're being tended. If the weather stays favourable I hope for a good harvest."

Mohammad Shahajan, the sub-assistant officer responsible for Khoiyachhara union, said: "Almost all farmers in my area have grown winter vegetables alongside aman paddy. Many are doing well from early cucumber. About 50 farmers here grow early winter vegetables."

Mirsarai upazila agriculture officer Pratap Chandra Roy said: "Winter vegetables have been grown on 1,200 hectares in the upazila's 16 unions and two municipalities. Farmers are busy with them, and agriculture officials are giving advice all the time. The vegetables here have not yet fully reached the market. If the weather stays favourable and market prices are good, winter vegetable farming will be quite profitable."

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