Kushtia District Correspondent: The vast fields of Kushtia district are now filled with various early winter vegetables. Farmers are cultivating cauliflower, cabbage, radish, carrots, bottle gourd, beans, bitter gourd, tomatoes, and more. Due to good market prices, farmers are very pleased, and the number of vegetable growers is increasing. However, many have complained about rising production costs. Early in the morning, farmers can be seen busy tending to their crops, while others rush to sell their produce at local markets. Wholesale traders also often visit the fields to buy directly from farmers.

Mohan Hossain, a farmer from Dholnagar village in Kumarkhali upazila, cultivated early cauliflower on 36 decimals of land. He said, “Since these are early-season vegetables, prices are good. Cauliflower is selling at Tk 120 per kg and cabbage at Tk 60 per kg.” Another farmer growing bottle gourd said, “I planted gourds on one bigha of land. Every day, I harvest 200–300 gourds and sell each wholesale for Tk 30–35. The profit is quite good.”
However, bean farmer Jewel Rana said, “The cost of fertilizers and pesticides has gone up, increasing production expenses. Due to unfavorable weather, we need to apply more fertilizer and spray more pesticides.” He added that wholesale prices of beans range from Tk 80 to Tk 100 per kg.

According to the Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Kushtia, early winter vegetables have been planted on 1,950 hectares in Kushtia Sadar, 645 hectares in Daulatpur, 630 hectares in Bheramara, 603 hectares in Mirpur, 139 hectares in Khoksa, and 736 hectares in Kumarkhali upazila.

Kumarkhali ranks second in the district for vegetable production. Omar Faruk, a farmer from Dholnagar village, cultivated “Leader” variety bitter gourd on 49 decimals of land. He said, “In the past two months, I sold 150 maunds of bitter gourd for Tk 3 lakh. After spending Tk 1.2 lakh, I expect to earn Tk 4–4.5 lakh this season.” Omar Faruk added, “Bitter gourds start to grow 35–40 days after planting. Every day I harvested 8–9 maunds and sold them wholesale at Tk 80–90 per kg. After accounting for land lease, seeds, fertilizer, and labor costs, I expect a profit of Tk 3–3.5 lakh in three months.”

Shahidul Islam from Hansdia village in Jadu Boyra Union said, “I used to grow bananas, but the cost and risk were high, and profit was low. For the past few years, I’ve been cultivating red amaranth instead. In one and a half months, I sold 1,200 bunches of greens for Tk 24,000. I make about Tk 30,000 profit every month.”

Golam Rasul, a farmer from Mirpur, said, “I have cultivated bitter gourd on 10 decimals of land using the mulching method. It will be ready for harvest in a week. With an investment of Tk 12,000, I expect to harvest about 60 maunds worth Tk 1.5 lakh.”

Across various fields in the upazila, vegetables such as bottle gourd, bitter gourd, ridge gourd, cauliflower, radish, and red amaranth are being cultivated using the modern mulching method. Farmers explained that in this technique, the soil around the plants is covered with materials such as straw, leaves, grass, or plastic sheets to retain moisture, suppress weeds, regulate soil temperature, and enhance fertility.

To sell their produce wholesale, there are at least 14 trading hubs (arats) in Kumarkhali Municipality and the Panti Tohobazar area. Farmers also sell directly at markets in Kushtia Sadar, Khoksa, and neighboring upazilas of Shailkupa (Jhenaidah), Pangsha (Rajbari), and Pabna Sadar. Local traders also travel to the fields by van or three-wheeler to buy vegetables directly from farmers.

Milon Hossain, a trader at Panti Tohobazar, said, “There are three trading centers in this market where around 15,000 kilograms of vegetables are traded daily, worth Tk 8–10 lakh.”
Asadul Islam from Kumarkhali Tohobazar added, “Last Saturday alone, 1,700 kilograms of vegetables were traded here. There are 11 wholesalers in total, and together we trade 20,000–22,000 kilograms of vegetables daily, valued at Tk 10–12 lakh.”

Kumarkhali Upazila Agriculture Officer Raisul Islam said, “This year, early winter vegetables have been cultivated on 736 hectares of land, with an expected yield of 17,000 tons. As vegetable farming brings high profit at low cost, farmers are becoming increasingly interested. We are always providing them with necessary support.”