Samsul Haque, a farmer in Muradnagar, Cumilla, has succeeded in growing broccoli, a nutritious foreign vegetable. After a first trial, he has now grown broccoli commercially on 55 decimals of land.

He hopes to succeed again this time. Hundreds of people come every day to see his vegetable field. Samsul Haque has also drawn attention across the district by growing squash, rock melon, yellow watermelon and sammam melon.

On a visit it was learned that Samsul Haque, son of the late Sona Mia of Bhubanghar village in Dhamghar union of the upazila, is a farmer by profession. He is known locally as a successful farmer and has earned wide recognition in the upazila by growing new crops.

With advice and help from the upazila agriculture department, Samsul Haque has grown broccoli commercially this year. After good yields and success from a trial crop last year, he has planted broccoli on 55 decimals of land.

Costs, including seedlings, labour and irrigation, came to Tk 30,000. Samsul has already sold broccoli worth about half a lakh taka and expects a profit of more than a lakh taka this time. Broccoli is currently selling at Tk 50 to 70 a piece.

Samsul Haque told Jagonews: "I have been growing various vegetables for a long time, including radish, tomato, ridge gourd, bottle gourd, cabbage and cauliflower. Last year I also got good yields from squash, yellow watermelon and sammam. With the upazila agriculture department's advice and help, this time I have grown nutritious broccoli commercially. I collected seed with the agriculture office's help and sowed it in a seedbed in mid-October, then transplanted the seedlings to the field in mid-November. Flowering comes in 75 to 85 days. Broccoli is an economically profitable crop." He said he would help any local farmers who come to him for advice on growing broccoli.

Muradnagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Main Uddin Ahmed told Jagonews that Samsul Haque is the first in the upazila to grow the BARI Broccoli-1 variety commercially. Yields have been good thanks to favourable weather.

He hoped other farmers in the upazila would follow Samsul's example and take up the vegetable. The upazila agriculture office will give all kinds of technical support and advice to anyone new who takes up such an initiative, he said.

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