A vegetable farmer is working in his field at Uzirpur upazila in Barisal. The photo was taken on Sunday. -Zahir Khan
Farmers of Uzirpur upazila in Barisal are happy with the profit they have gained this year from vegetable farming.They have been passing busy time cultivating vegetables since the beginning of winter in the area. Local farmers said, they cultivate vegetables due to low cultivation cost and good prices in the markets.
Farmers of Ghetia, Bamrail, Jalla and Harata unions of Uzipur upazila have cultivated vegetables like cauliflower, cabbage, shellfish, bean, sweet pumpkin, tomato, palanquin and red spinach. These vegetables also help meet the local demand from different districts of the country.
However, some farmers complained that the winter vegetables do not receive necessary cooperation from the local agricultural department as a result many poor farmers face incredible losses. Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said, winter vegetables were cultivated in 9 unions of the upazila with an estimated yield of 17 thousand 8 metric tons in 8,440 hectares of land.
The favorable weather condition brought this profit to the farmers said the DAE source. Monir Hossain, a vegetable cultivator hailing from Dherpara village of Guthia Union of the upazila, said that he is cultivating cabbage, cauliflower, beans, and gooseberries in one and a half acre of land with huge demands for pesticide free vegetables. But due to pest attack and diseases, many vegetables have been wasted, which he added is solely due to the lack of cooperation from the agricultural department.
Being questioned, Deputy Assistant Officer of the Union Abdul Hai denied the allegation adding that he could not go to the fields due to illness for a long time. Deputy Assistant Officer of Upazila Agriculture Extension Department Mohammad Tofazzem Hossain Tuhin, in charge of Bamrail Union, said many farmers benefited from cultivating various varieties of vegetables in the upazila.
However, fertilizers, seeds and transportation costs are high in the market. If these things were lowered, then the farmers would have been able to produce more efficiently. Besides, we also try to give full support and advice to the farmers on behalf of the Depar-tment of Agriculture, he added.
---Zahir Khan, Uzirpur, Barisal
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