Farmers in Tangail have started cultivating early varieties of winter vegetables, hoping to secure higher returns as favourable weather, modern farming methods and agricultural advice help boost production.
Although winter is still more than three months away, fields across the district are already covered with green crops including cauliflower, cabbage, radish, tomato, beans, carrot and bottle gourd.
Farmers in Madhupur, Ghatail, Dhanbari, Sakhipur and the char areas along the Jamuna and Dhaleshwari rivers have become increasingly involved in early vegetable farming, encouraged by the prospect of premium prices at the beginning of the season.
A recent visit to different parts of the district found farmers busy preparing land, planting seedlings, applying fertiliser and protecting crops from pests. Women farmers are also playing an active role in seedling production and vegetable care.
Some early varieties of red amaranth, radish and bottle gourd have already reached local markets, where farmers are receiving good prices due to high demand.
Farmers said selling vegetables before the peak season can bring two to three times higher profits compared with normal market periods. As a result, commercial cultivation of early winter vegetables has expanded in Tangail in recent years.
The fertile soil of the river basins and hilly areas has made the district suitable for early vegetable production. Vegetables grown here are meeting local demand and are also being supplied by trucks to Dhaka and other divisional and district cities.
Madhupur farmer Raihan Kazi is cultivating cauliflower on 70 decimals of land at Darihasil village. He planted 16,000 seedlings of Captain and Winner varieties and has already spent more than Tk1 lakh.
“I will be able to sell the cauliflower after around two months. If the yield is good and I get fair prices, I expect a profit of Tk2.5 lakh to Tk3 lakh after deducting costs,” he said.
He said summer vegetables did not bring expected returns due to adverse weather conditions, prompting him to start winter vegetable farming early.
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer from Fulmalir Chala village in Ghatail, said he planted beans and bottle gourd on 40 decimals of land a month ago. Some plants have already started producing vegetables and he expects a good harvest this year.
Madhupur Upazila Agriculture Officer Momtaz Begum said early cauliflower varieties are both tasty and nutritious. Under an incentive programme, the agriculture department has expanded cultivation through field demonstrations on two hectares of land in the upazila.
“The agriculture office has provided farmers with necessary fertiliser and support. We hope more farmers will be encouraged to adopt early vegetable cultivation,” she said.
Tangail Department of Agricultural Extension Additional Deputy Director Md Shoaib Mahmud, said the district has set a target to cultivate winter vegetables on 11,450 hectares of land this year, with expected production of 294,220 tonnes.
“Some farmers have already started early winter vegetable cultivation to earn higher profits. Full-scale cultivation will begin from October,” he said, adding that farmers are also being encouraged to produce safe and quality vegetables.
