By Md Aynal Haque
 
RAJSHAHI, Nov 27, 2025 (BSS) - The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) has set a target to produce 19.75 lakh tonnes of vegetables from 82,525 hectares of land in all eight districts under Rajshahi division during the current winter season, officials said. 
 
The DAE has set the target of producing around 9.62 lakh tonnes of the cash crop from 39,695 hectares in four districts of the Rajshahi Agricultural Zone, while 10.13 lakh tonnes are expected from 42,830 hectares in four other districts of the Bogra Zone.
 
Dr Azizur Rahman, additional director of DAE, said the target has been set to produce various kinds of winter vegetables in all eight districts under Rajshahi division after the best use of its existing natural resources and modern technologies.
 
Meanwhile, the local kitchen markets now abound with various advanced varieties of vegetables including cauliflower, cabbage, bottle gourd, Indian spinach and red amaranth benefiting both the growers and consumers.
 

Advanced farming brings smiles to farmers' faces here as they become financially solvent by cultivating various types of vegetables, meeting its rising demand with the increasing population.
 
Anwar Hossain, a resident of Hatibandha village under Godagari upazila, has developed himself as a potential vegetable farmer in the region. He has cultivated cabbage on four bighas of land, papaya on one bigha and brinjal on three bighas of land. 

 
"I have been selling cabbage at Taka 20-25 per piece and brinjal at Taka 40-50 per kilogram directly from my land for the last couple of weeks," Hossain said, adding that the selling price has delighted him very much. 
 

Monirul Islam, 45, a farmer at Duary village under Paba upazila, said he earned Taka 30,000 after selling red amaranth from one bigha of land following sowing its seed hardly 25 days back at a cost of Taka 8,000.

He is very happy with vegetable farming because he gets a good yield at a fair market price within a short time.
 
Sabbir Hossain, 45, another farmer of Jhujkai village, said not only red amaranth but also many other short-duration vegetables are being produced here.
 
Ali Hossain, 45, a farmer of Kodomshohar village under Godagari upazila, has become an icon of vegetable cultivation in his locality. His annual earnings are around Taka four to five lakh on average at present.
 
He has started vegetable farming with brinjal on only five decimal of fallow land after failing to get irrigation water for Irri-boro farming around five years back. His initial income was around Taka 15,000, which inspired him to expand vegetable farming commercially.
 
Hossain added that the farmers get benefits by farming vegetables in the region including its vast Barind Tract. It brings a smile to marginal farmers and poor people.
 
Besides, he said vegetable farming on both commercial and non-commercial basis is gradually increasing in the vast Barind tract as many people are seen moving towards vegetable leaving behind the high-irrigation consuming crops.
 
Both acreage and production of various types of vegetables increased significantly in the area during the last couple of years, sources said.
 
Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Atanu Sarker told BSS that the vegetable farming in Barind land is now plentiful. Farmers are seen sending their fresh vegetables to different cities including the capital Dhaka after meeting the local demands regularly, he added.