Green pea, a chance crop for Natore growers

Around 20,000 hectares of land were traditionally fallow from November to January in Natore between Aman and Boro seasons.

But now the farmers are getting handsome profit from the wasteland by cultivating Green Pea. The department of agriculture is considering it as a 'chance crop'.

Many farmers have changed their luck by cultivating green pea, locally known as 'motorshuti,' on their fallow land as the low production cost brings good profit.

Subrata Kumar Sarker, deputy director (DD) of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Natore, said "Farmers traditionally did not cultivate any crops on their land after harvesting the Aman paddy until the next Boro paddy cultivation. Green pea is really a chance crop for the farmers in the season."

If they cultivated other seasonal corps like lentils, wheat, mustard on their land, it would take 100 days to 120 days to mature. As a result, they could not cultivate the Boro paddy on that land.

But when the same farmers cultivate green pea on the same land after harvesting Aman paddy, they can easily cultivate Boro paddy after harvesting green pea as it takes only 70 to 80 days to grow, said the DD.

Shafikul Islam, a green pea grower of Chugachhi village under Natore Sadar upazila, said last year, he kept his five bigha land idle after harvesting Aman paddy till the Boro cultivation started. But this year he has sown green pea in his land at the cost of Tk 10,000 and he is expecting a profit of Tk 40,000.

Farmer Mozibar Rahman of Bangabaria village of the same upazila said he cultivated green pea on two bighas of land this year spending Tk 2500 and he sold the produce for Tk 22,000.

Mehedul Islam, another farmer, said, green pea is a leguminous crop, it increases the fertility of the land and is very nutritious vegetable. It does not need to plough the land to cultivate pea in paddy fields.

"Cultivation of pea brings an opportunity for many women like me as we can earn Tk 10000 to Tk 12000 by plucking pea in a season every year. We usually used to spend lazy time after finishing household chores. But now we are able to contribute to the family income by plucking pea. Our honor and dignity have increased in the family," housewife Anawara Begum of Bangabaria village said.

According to the DAE in Natore, farmers have cultivated green pea on 1,179 hectares of land in the district this season while it was 1,109 hectares last season.