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RANGPUR: Fields across northern Bangladesh are turning green as farmers work from dawn to dusk to grow early varieties of winter vegetables, hoping to recover from last year’s losses and earn better returns this season.
Although winter is still some time away, vegetables traditionally associated with the colder months have already started appearing in local markets.
Beans and cabbage are among the early arrivals, while farmers are busy tending fields of cauliflower, radish, cabbage, bottle gourd, tomato, red amaranth, coriander and other winter vegetables.
For many farmers, early cultivation is a race against both time and weather.
Growing vegetables before the peak winter season enables farmers to target higher prices, but it also exposes their crops to unpredictable rainfall, pests and diseases.
Despite the risks, the prospect of a good harvest and favourable prices is encouraging farmers to expand cultivation across the region.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), farmers in the eight northern districts—Rangpur, Dinajpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh—have set a target of cultivating early winter vegetables on around 33,900 hectares this season. Production is expected to reach around 314,000 tonnes.
The region has long been known for its abundant vegetable production, with Rangpur often described as a “vegetable hub”.
Farmers traditionally begin planting early varieties of winter vegetables before the onset of winter, enabling them to take their produce to markets ahead of the peak season.
This year, large areas of farmland are already covered with neat rows of vegetables.
While some farmers are harvesting their first crops, others are planting seedlings and preparing fields for the next round of cultivation.
Agricultural officials say improved farming techniques and greater use of modern technology are also helping farmers boost production.
The DAE has provided training on modern vegetable cultivation, while field-level officials are regularly monitoring crops and advising farmers on irrigation, pest control, disease management and other aspects of production.
For farmers such as Zahidul Islam of Ranipukur in Rangpur’s Mithapukur upazila, the early harvest has already brought some relief. “I grow early winter vegetables every year. This time, I cultivated leaf cabbage and coriander,” he said.
Zahidul said he had already sold leaf cabbage for Tk 2,000 per maund and coriander worth around Tk 10,000. “I got a good price compared with the production cost, so I am happy,” he said.
Another farmer in the area, Aynal Mia, said unfavourable weather had made early vegetable cultivation more difficult this year.
“I managed to grow vegetables within a short period, but excessive rainfall has created problems,” he said.
He has cultivated cabbage, beans, radish, red amaranth and coriander.
Some farmers have already lost portions of their crops to rain and have had to start cultivation again, he added.
Weather remains one of the biggest uncertainties for farmers engaged in early vegetable production. A timely harvest can bring significantly higher prices, but excessive rainfall can damage young plants, waterlog fields and increase the risk of disease.
Mohammad Sirajul Islam, additional director of the DAE in Rangpur division, said the agricultural department was working to expand early winter vegetable cultivation in the region.
“Farmers have been provided with training on ways to expand early winter vegetable cultivation. We are also providing them with technical advice and all possible support at the field level,” he said.