To carry out Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's directive, vegetables and various other crops are now being grown on fallow land in different parts of Narail. The district and upazila administrations, police, agriculture officials and many individuals have responded to the initiative.

In the current fiscal year, mustard, sunflower, vegetables, groundnuts, chui jhal, chillies, Malabar spinach, water spinach, onions and garlic, pumpkins, bottle gourds, sesame, watermelons, bangi melons, aubergines, bitter gourds and other crops are being grown on 225.63 hectares of fallow land in the district, and many have already had success.

Nazrul Mollah of Kalna in Lohagara upazila said, "Forty decimals of government land lay abandoned beside the Jashore-Kalna road in front of my house. This year I grew sunflowers there as the agriculture department gave free seed and fertiliser."

Likewise, in Kamthana village of Lohagara, Layek Sheikh has planted Boro rice on roadside government land, Alim Sheikh improved grass and Razzak Sheikh aubergines.

Farmer Rajib Mollah of Patna village in Kalia upazila said, "Two acres of Water Development Board land on the Patna canal bank had lain fallow for two years. With the agriculture department's help, I grew mustard there this year and produced 25 maunds."

Brick kiln owner Md Hasanuzzaman, vice-president of the district Awami League and president of the Chamber of Commerce, said no bricks had been fired this year, and much land around the kiln had been lying fallow. With the agriculture department's encouragement, various crops are being grown on about seven acres. "Sunflower, chillies, onions and garlic, pumpkins and sesame are now being grown. Before that I grew mustard on four acres and got a good yield."

Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Rokonuzzaman said that in rural areas almost every homestead has some unused land, mostly covered with trees and plants. Under the agriculture department's initiative, homeowners are encouraged to cultivate it and given free seed and fertiliser.

He said a target of 400 gardens had been set in Narail Sadar this fiscal year under the family nutrition garden project, and about 60 per cent of the target had already been met.

Kalia Upazila Agriculture Officer Subir Kumar Biswas said everyone was being encouraged not to leave land fallow. Red amaranth and pumpkins have also been planted on the open space in front of the Assistant Commissioner (Land) office and his own office.

Lohagara Upazila Agriculture Officer Farzana Akter said sunflower, rice, aubergines and other vegetables were now being grown on countless abandoned plots beside the Narail-Kalna road. She hoped cultivation would increase further if the trend continued.

Dipak Kumar Roy, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Narail, told Jago News that the district had a total of 722 hectares of fallow land. After the Prime Minister's announcement, various crops are being grown on 225.63 hectares. The district and police administrations, the Water Development Board and many individuals are helping, and the cultivation has already been successful. Another 300 hectares of fallow land will be brought under cultivation next year, and the family nutrition garden project on homestead fallow land is under way in the district's three upazilas.

Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Habibur Rahman told Jago News that bottle gourds, aubergines, red amaranth, water spinach, coriander, tomatoes, okra, papaya and bananas had been planted on about one bigha around his residence. The three upazila administrations together have also grown various crops on about six acres of abandoned land. "We want no space to be left empty, and we are all working together with the agriculture department to achieve that goal," he said.

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