Photo : BSS

By Babul Akhtar Rana

NAOGAON, Oct 17, 2025 (BSS) - Early varieties of winter vegetables have begun arriving in both retail and wholesale markets across Naogaon, bringing satisfaction to both farmers and consumers as the harvesting season gets underway.

With the first chill of winter setting in, fields across the district have turned a vibrant green, as farmers actively harvest early-season vegetables-marking the onset of one of the busiest and most profitable periods in the agricultural calendar.

This year, vegetables such as potatoes, beans, bitter gourd, cauliflower, cabbage, radish, brinjal, lalshak, and spinach-mainly from the Kharif and early winter varieties-have been cultivated extensively.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), early-season vegetables have been planted on 2,755 hectares of land in Naogaon-the highest among all northern districts.

In key vegetable-producing areas such as Barshail, Kirtipur, Baktarpur, Chakatitha, and Tilakpur under Naogaon Sadar upazila, a wide range of crops including beans, cauliflower, bitter gourd, brinjal, radish, gourd, pointed gourd, barbati, spinach, carrots, and lalshak are being cultivated.

Prices in the local markets have been encouraging. Cauliflowers are being sold at Taka 50 to 70 apiece, while radish and brinjal are fetching Taka 100 to 120 per kilogram directly from the fields.

Farmers are working from dawn to dusk-engaged in watering, weeding, fertilizing, and pest control to ensure a successful harvest.

Mahafuz Alam Didar, a farmer from Barshail village, said he has cultivated cauliflower and radish on one bigha of land this year. "The total cost including land preparation, irrigation, fertilizers, and pest control is about Taka 10,000 to 12,000. I expect to make around Taka 1 lakh in revenue," he told BSS.

Korban Ali Mandal, a farmer from Baluvhara village in Badalgachhi upazila, said recent rains helped prepare the soil naturally, reducing the need for artificial irrigation. "The market prices are good-I've already sold lalshak and cauliflower at favorable rates," he added.

Sultanul Alam Milon, another farmer from Kirtipur, mentioned that early cultivation is always risky. "Insect attacks and sudden rain can damage the seedlings. But early harvest means better prices, so we take the risk," he said.

Speaking to BSS, Additional Deputy Director of the District Agricultural Extension Department Khalilur Rahman said, "Farmers began sowing early-season vegetables immediately after the last monsoon rains. The yield has already started reaching local markets and fetching good prices."

He, however, cautioned that early cultivation carries inherent risks. "That's why our field officers are advising farmers to use balanced and organic fertilizers, along with proper pest management techniques," Rahman said.

He added that this season's favorable weather conditions have boosted farmers' confidence, raising hopes for a bumper harvest of early winter vegetables in Naogaon.