Young farmer Rubel has found success growing cauliflower in Shaistaganj, Habiganj. Besides cauliflower, he has had bumper yields of various winter vegetables. His success has made many others keen to grow vegetables, and many farmers have planted them on his advice.

Rubel Ahmed is the son of the late Abdul Kaiyum of Bagunipara village in Shaistaganj. His father was also a farmer, and Rubel learned farming from him. He sells vegetables worth Tk 5-7 lakh every year.

Rubel said he planted 6,000 cauliflower seedlings on 50 decimals of land. With good weather every plant has yielded well, and each cauliflower weighs one to one and a half kilos.

He said growing the cauliflower cost him Tk 40,000. He has already sold Tk 70,000 worth and hopes to get another Tk 1 lakh from the rest.

He has also grown tomatoes, aubergines, beans and other winter vegetables on about 3 acres. Four or five labourers work regularly tending these crops, which creates jobs as well as bringing him a good income.

Labourer Shoaib Mia said he works for a daily wage of Tk 500, doing everything from preparing seedbeds to transplanting, irrigating, weeding and selling at market. With that he can meet his family's expenses comfortably.

Shaistaganj upazila agriculture officer Sukanta Dhar said: "Rubel Ahmed is now an inspiration to many. Seeing his success, many people have become interested in growing vegetables. This rabi season, winter vegetables were grown on 775 hectares in the upazila, about 150 hectares more than last year."

"The Department of Agricultural Extension is working to bring every inch of fallow land under cultivation. Besides government seed support, incentive programmes are under way to increase vegetable growing. The agriculture department stands by farmers," he said.

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