DOT Desk: During the last fiscal year of 2017-18, farmers produced a whopping 402,790
metric tons of vegetables.
Rajshahi has been recognized as the largest vegetable producer in the country, reports The Dhaka Tribune.
This has been possible mainly due to the increase in land-use for vegetable harvesting as well as the increase in vegetable production per hectare.
Shamsul Haque, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension said: “The Ministry of Agriculture has recognized Rajshahi district as the largest vegetable producer in Bangladesh.”
“Rajshahi’s weather condition is very much favourable for various types of vegetables and fruit production.“ he said.
“The local farmers here are very aware of the procedures necessary for a healthy harvest. They have properly fertilized the soil while spraying the right amount pesticides; thus vegetable production in Rajshahi has increased so much,” he added.
The Ministry of Agriculture selected Rajshahi as the top district in the country based on the amount of vegetable production per hectare during the last fiscal year of 2017-18, when 42,235 hectares of land were used by farmers to produce a whopping 402,790 metric tons of vegetables.
This was a significant increase from the fiscal year of 2015-16 when, according to the information provided by the ministry, 16.69 metric tons of vegetable were produced per hectare in Rajshahi district, and farmers harvested from 21,723 hectares of land to produce 362,564 metric tons of vegetables.
“We did not even add the amount of potatoes produced in Rajshahi, which would definitely increase the average production of the district,” Shamsul Haque said.
“Due to the better profit margins, farmers nowadays prefer harvesting vegetables and fruits rather than grains. The weather in this region is also very favourable for vegetable production. The farmers here are to credit for this tremendous achievement, which has made Rajshahi district the largest vegetable producer of the country.”
“However, farmers are not getting the profits they deserve, and this will only discourage hardworking farmers to continue in this profession. For this, the farmers have demanded vegetable preservation facilities,” he said.
When asked, the local trade leaders also said if vegetables are taken and sold to different parts of the country, then farmers would get fair prices for their harvests.