Vegetable farming on fallow land

Many farmers in Habiganj's Chunarughat upazila have changed their fortunes and gradually becoming self-reliant by cultivating winter vegetables on fallow land.

Farmers from different villages are now engaged in cultivating high-yielding winter vegetables like tomatoes, cauliflower, cabbage, pumpkins, radishes and brinjals by utilizing their unused land.

After meeting local demands, farmers are now selling their vegetables to buyers from different areas across the country including the capital.

While visiting Lalchand, Rampur, Kaligar and Totartipi villages under Shankhala union this correspondent saw various varieties of vegetables like brinjal, gourd, pumpkin, cauliflower and cabbage are cultivated on vast tracts of land.

Farmer Ayub Ali of Ramapur village said upazila agriculture office gave him a demonstration on how to cultivate mixed crop on fallow land.

He later cultivated brinjal, sweet pumpkin and red cabbage on his one bigha land.

Ayub has already sold different varieties of vegetable worth Tk 70,000 and expect to sell the remaining vegetables worth Tk 20,000 to Tk 30,000 more.

Alfu Mia, a grower from Joarlalchand village, said he has grown gourd, red cabbage, saffron and brinjal on one bigha land and managed to sale vegetables worth Tk 40,000 so far.

Fazal Islam of the village said he has cultivated mix crops like brinjal, string bean and spinach on his land and sold vegetables work Tk 37,000 till now.

Another vegetable grower Shariful Hasan said alongside technical assistance, local agriculture office also provided them seeds, fertilisers and pesticides.

While talking farmer Ayub said farmers are getting a good profit by growing multiple crops on same land as there is high demand for vegetables in the market.

Chunarughat Upazila Agriculture Officer Mahidul Islam said the agricultural development project, using modern technologies, in Sylhet is a breakthrough for the greater agricultural development of the region.    Through this farmers have successfully exhibited that multiple crops can be grown on same land.