CHUADANGA, Jan 7: Bumper production of different varieties of winter vegetables and fair price of the vegetables have brought smile to the farmers in the district.
Many farmers became financially solvent in all the four upazilas of the district this season.
The farmers of the district have engaged themselves in cauliflower, cabbage, cucumber, brinjal, bean, radish and tomato cultivation, after suffering losses from cultivation of Aman  paddy. These items have also changed the economic conditions of many farmers in the district.
Chuadanga Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office  sources said  a total of 8,550  hectares of land have been brought under winter vegetable  cultivation in the current season with a production target of 49,928 tonnes of vegetables in four upazilas.
Of these, 2,137 hectares of land have been cultivated in Chuadanga Sadar upazila, 2,015 hectares of land in Alamdanga upazila, 2,201 hectares of land in Damurhuda upazila and 2,197 hectares of land in Jibannagar upazila.
Considering the economic aspects of winter vegetables, the farmers started cultivating their lands with enthusiasm and energy after recession of rain water.
They sowed seeds of high-yielding varieties and used modern technology and achieved a bumper production thanks to a favourable weather condition in the region.
It is found that cauliflower is being sold at Taka 22 to 23 per KG, cabbage Taka 18 to 20 per kg, bean Taka 20 to 25 per kg, brinjal Taka 25 to 30, cucumber Taka 22 to 24 per kg, radish Taka 12 to 14 per kg and tomato Taka 35 to 40 per kg in the local market. All vegetables are selling at Tk 7 to 10 per kg more than that of the last year.
Hafijur  Islam, a farmer of village  Ukto of Chuadanga Sadar upazila, said he cultivated cauliflower on three bighas of land spending Tk 32 thousand  and earned Tk 35   thousand by selling vegetables in the local markets.
Abdul Mondal, another bean farmer of village Chhygohriya of the same upazila, said he brought two and a half   bighas of land under bean cultivation and earned Tk 70 thousand   by selling the vegetable and would  earn Tk 25,000 more  from the remaining produce.
Mokhles Ali, a farmer of village Munshiganj of Alamdanga upazila, said he brought one and a half acres of land under cabbage cultivation this season. A vegetable trader of the district Shariful Islam offered him Taka one lakh for the entire field of the vegetables, but he expects to earn Tk 1.5 lakh from his produce.
"We are very happy to have fair price of the vegetables,'' he said.
Deputy Director of Chuadanga DAE Nirmal Kumer Dey said winter vegetable cultivation has been very popular to the farmers as it has been proved more profitable than the cultivation of paddy, jute, maize or other crops.