Char Fasson farmers expect profits from early winter vegetables

CHAR FASSON, BHOLA, Nov 13: Farmers in Char Fasson Upazila are busy cultivating early winter vegetables, hoping to fetch higher prices by bringing their produce to market ahead of the regular season.

Taking advantage of the fertile soil and favourable weather in the coastal region, farmers are cultivating various winter vegetables in Dularhat, Nilkamal, Jinnagor and different other areas of the upazila.

With early-season vegetables fetching higher prices, growers are working hard to maximise production and profits.

Farmers in Ward 4 of Char Fasson municipality said early varieties of beans had attracted considerable interest this season.

Mohammad Gias Uddin, a model farmer from the ward, has cultivated beans and other vegetables on 70 decimals of land this season. During a recent visit to his field, flowers and young beans were seen on the plants. He has already started harvesting small quantities and selling them at good prices.

Gias Uddin said early vegetable cultivation involved higher labour, fertiliser and pesticide costs.

"I have spent around Tk 2 lakh this season. Considering the current yield and market prices, I hope to make at least Tk 4 lakh in profit after recovering the production costs, provided everything goes well," he said.

However, he expressed concern over pest attacks, saying insects could cause flowers to drop from bean plants and reduce production. Protecting the crops from such attacks is crucial to achieving the expected profit, he added.

According to the upazila agriculture office, extensive areas of Char Fasson, particularly char lands and areas along embankments, are cultivated with winter vegetables every year.

Beans, cauliflower, cabbage, radish and red amaranth are among the major crops grown in the region. Farmers often receive nearly twice the usual seasonal prices by harvesting vegetables early, contributing to the local rural economy.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Nazmul Huda said farmers in the area generally benefited from early vegetable cultivation and market prices had remained encouraging at the beginning of this season.

He warned that fog and high humidity could increase the risk of diseases and pest attacks in early-season crops.

To protect yields, farmers should follow proper modern farming practices and seek advice from field-level agriculture officials before applying pesticides, he said.

He also stressed using only approved pesticides in the correct quantities to avoid being cheated by pesticide sellers and prevent damage to crops.

Regular agricultural monitoring, proper irrigation and effective pest management in char areas could help farmers achieve significant financial gains from early vegetable sales this season, officials said.