The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Rangpur

More than 6,000 poor families of 75 villages in 20 upazilas of greater Rangpur achieved economic self- reliance and eradicated their poverty through vegetables farming during the last few years.

Before taking up vegetables farming as the means of their subsistence, at least half of them were in abject miseries in the poverty and erosion-prone sandy chars on the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla and other river basins in Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha and Nilphamari districts.

Now they are leading a completely changed life with three- time meals a day, sanitary facilities and their children going to schools, madrashaws and also the NGO-run informal educational institutions. Officials told BSS here today that Department of Agriculture Extension, Bangladesh Agriculture Research Institute, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation, NGOs and awareness among the extreme poor helped them change their lot.

Local people said that those, who were extremely poor four years ago, are now leading, somewhat, an affluent life only because of the vegetable farming despite the seasonal Monga and damages caused by the floods.

They said, vegetables are being cultivated on more than 22,000 hectares of lands including the vast tracts of sandy-barren char areas since 2003, with the total acreage increasing every year and encouraging more people towards growing various vegetables.

With the help of several NGOs and other organizations, huge quantities of vegetables are being produced in 25 char villages of the Teesta basin under Gangachara upazila, changing the life of over 200 families in a short period. Farmers are selling around 10,000 tonnes of vegetables every year in Aditmari upazila of Lalmonirhat district alone. "Our total income will be higher if we get proper marketing and preservation facilities," said Parvez of village Choritabari in the upazila.

He earns Taka two lakh every year by cultivating 'Borboti' on his small land of 30 decimals only. "Farming of this variety of vegetable has brought happiness in my family and the people now call me Borboti Parvez," he said with a sense of pride.

Abdullah, Solaiman Ali, Abul, Malek, Kosir, Altaf and many others like Parvez of the same village narrated similar stories about their success they achieved through vegetables farming during the past few years. Kuddus of Kamlabari is now well known as 'Chichinga Kuddus' and Matin as 'Korola Matin' as both the farmers brought about a tremendous change in their life by producing these two varieties of vegetables.

Similarly, 'Papaya Yunus' of village Hajiganj said his net profit is Taka three lakh every year from papaya farming on an area of 40 decimals only. "I do not feel bad when people call me Papaya Yunus," he said. Many others of Madhupur and Gilabari villages have been growing vegetables as well as fruits and spices like Korola, Chichinga, Borboti, Choi, Baro Patol, Choto Patol, Kakrol, Jhinga, Shosha, Pani Kumra, Misti Kumra, Lomba Lau, brinjal, cauliflower, lemon, chilly, onion, garlic, water melon, guava, boroi and banana.

Deputy Director of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Rangpur Kamal Shariful Alam told BSS that vegetables and fruits farming have brought about a revolutionary change in the rural economy in these areas.

"The growers do not always get better prices of their produces as the middlemen vegetable traders are the main beneficiaries due to the lack of adequate marketing and preservation facilities here," he said.