Photo: Collected
Farmers of Munshiganj are now passing a busy time producing early winter vegetable seedlings. They are spending their days tending and selling seedlings at the seedbeds. As the weather is favourable and the yield is good, farmers are getting fair prices. Some 25 to 30 entrepreneurs have also emerged around this profitable business.
According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension, early winter vegetable seedlings including bottle gourd, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, bean and brinjal are being produced on 1,191 hectares of land in the district in the current season. Of this, seedlings are being produced on 300 hectares in Sadar, 37 hectares in Tongibari, 108 hectares in Sreenagar, 282 hectares in Sirajdikhan, 260 hectares in Louhajang and 204 hectares in Gazaria.
Ahmmad Sharif Liton, a farmer of Bhattacharjabhag in Panchasar union, told BSS that this year he has prepared seedbeds on about 1 acre of land to produce vegetable seedlings.
He said it takes 20 to 25 days for a seedling to be ready. As a result, seedlings can be produced twice on the same land every season. The seedlings from here are in demand across the country. Farmers come from different parts of the country to buy seedlings, especially from Savar and Keraniganj around Dhaka and from Shariatpur, Madaripur and Narayanganj. As they are produced with fertile soil, local seeds and extra care, the seedlings from here are much better in terms of quality, so the demand is also high.
Md Nawab Shikder, a seedbed-producing farmer of Bajrajogini union, told BSS that this time he has made seedbeds on about 70 decimals of land. Every season he produces seedlings worth about Tk 10 to 15 lakh in two months. They have been preparing seedbeds for generations. Earlier only seedlings of local varieties were produced, and the demand for seedlings from here was even higher then. Now some foreign seeds are also used alongside local seedlings.
Dr Md Habibur Rahman, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, told BSS that in Munshiganj, Tk 10 to 12 lakh is earned by selling the seedlings of each bigha of land. As the land here is high and fertile, farmers can prepare seedbeds early. The workers here are also trained in this work, and the farmers prepare the seedbeds with great care.
He said most farmers use organic fertiliser on the land, so the quality of the seedlings is also good. As seedbed preparation is profitable, about 25 to 30 entrepreneurs have emerged in Munshiganj.
They are given technical assistance from the Department of Agricultural Extension. There is also a plan to build polynet houses for them to prevent damage to seedbeds in natural disasters.
