In Pirganj upazila of Rangpur, farmers are earning extra income by growing vegetables and spice crops on the empty strips of land along village roads. Fields of beans, pumpkin, bottle gourd, papaya and sesame, and trellises of gourd and bean vines, have turned the roadsides green.
Local sources say that along village roads in the upazila's 15 unions, farmers grow spices such as sesame, ginger, garlic, onion and turmeric as well as beans, pumpkin, bottle gourd and papaya, depending on the season and the land. Such plots were seen across the area on the afternoon of Saturday, 17 October.
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer in the Khalashpir area, said bringing roadside fallow under cultivation earns extra money and planned planting gives better yields. Shamim Mia, an auto-rickshaw driver from Khoyerbari, said the crops make the roads look pleasant but should not get in the way of traffic or pedestrians.
Local residents advise that farming must not encroach on the road reserve, drainage channels or space for traffic, and that cutting soil from the roads or damaging their structure must be avoided.
Pirganj upazila engineer Asaduzzaman Bappi said farmers are growing short-term crops in the empty roadside spaces without harming the roads, but no crops can remain there when road works are carried out.
Agricare24 published the report crediting the Daily Inqilab.
Photo: Kamrul Islam Shahin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Agricare24
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