Golden cauliflowers, golden prospects
Numerous farmers in Khulna have been successfully growing coloured cauliflowers and selling them for a handsome profit, prompting even more farmers to start cultivating this visually striking, savoury, and nutritious variant.
Coloured cauliflowers can be yellow, golden, orange, green or purple, depending on the variety, and have the same mild, sweet, and nutty taste and texture as the traditional white cauliflower. Moreover, they are just as good for your health.
In local markets, the price of the traditional white cauliflower is around Tk 15-20 per kg, while coloured cauliflower goes for around Tk 40-45.
You can expect to yield 25-30 tonnes of white cauliflower from one hectare of land, with a production cost of Tk 50,000-60,000 and revenue of Tk 2.5-3 lakh. However, the production cost of coloured cauliflower is Tk 80,000 to Tk 1 lakh per hectare and the revenue is Tk 4-5 lakh.
Coloured cauliflowers began appearing in markets abroad some 15 years ago, but cultivation in Bangladesh began only two years back. In Khulna, over 300 farmers, with the help of the Agriculture Department, cultivated them for the first time recently.
"At first, I was worried about how this kind of cauliflower would grow and how it would taste. But after a month, I was astonished by how well they grew, and I sold more of them at the local market than I had previously sold white cauliflowers," said Taposh Sarkar, a farmer from Atalia village.
"Since it was new to our locale, the Agriculture Department helped us by providing seeds, fertilisers, and organic pesticides free of cost. I'm very happy with the profit. I plan on using more farm land to cultivate coloured cauliflowers next season," he added.
Purnima Mallick was similarly delighted with the results on her farm in Baratia village. She has already sold Tk 65,000 worth of coloured cauliflower this year. Next season, Purnima plans to use more land to cultivate more of the crop.
She explained, "You can expect to yield 25-30 tonnes of white cauliflower from one hectare of land, with a production cost of Tk 50,000-60,000 and revenue of Tk 2.5-3 lakh. However, the production cost of coloured cauliflower is Tk 80,000 to Tk 1 lakh per hectare and the revenue is Tk 4-5 lakh."
Md Walid Hossain, additional upazila agriculture officer, said, "We wanted to assess coloured cauliflower's compatibility with the local soil and climate, and gauge its potential yield."
Kazi Zahangir Hossain, deputy director of Department of Agriculture in Khulna, said, "In the future, we will provide all kinds of support to anyone who wants to grow coloured cauliflowers."