Crop farming on char lands brings fortune to many

Expanded cultivation of various crops on char lands and dried up riverbeds is bringing fortune to many farmers and landless poor people living in riverine areas of Rangpur agriculture region.

Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said cultivation of crops on char lands is expanding every year during the dry season following appearance of shoals as a result of drying up of riverbeds and massive deposition of alluvial soils.

“The char people cultivated crops on 91,000 hectares of char lands and dried-up beds in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season,” said Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office here Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam.

The tender plants of various crops are growing superbly now on char lands, shoals and silted- up beds of the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Ghaghot, Jamuna, Kartoa and other rivers and tributaries in the region giving those lands greenish looks.

“The char and riverside people have mostly cultivated potato and other vegetables, onion, green chili, garlic, maize, wheat, Boro rice, gourd, groundnut, ‘kawn’, pulses, ’till’, tobacco, pumpkin, pulses, oil seed and watermelon on these lands,” Islam said.

Harvest of mustard, onion and vegetables is nearing completion on the char lands and dried up riverbeds though the process will begin for other cultivated crops from March next to end by late May before commencement of the rainy season.

Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said crop cultivation on char lands and silted-up riverbeds is increasing in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region during the past three decades.

“About 18,000 char households, who are beneficiaries of different NGOs and government organisations, cultivated pumpkin, other vegetables and crops in over 220 villages of 22 upazilas in these five districts this season,” he said.

River-eroded people Abul Kashem, Anwarul and Kobiza of village Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila here said some 25 families of the village have cultivated pumpkin and other crops on the dried-up Teesta riverbed there this year.

They said a farmer spent Taka 18,000 on an average each for cultivating pumpkin on 200 raised sandbars this time to sell the produced pumpkin at around Taka 42,000 to earn a net profit of Taka 24,000 after completing harvest by March next.

“I have cultivated pumpkin, onion, garlic and vegetables on the dried-up beds of the river Teesta to complete harvesting those by March next,” said landless riverside farmer Abdur Razzaque of the same village.

Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said cultivation of crops takes place on char lands and dried up riverbeds with deposition of alluvial soil following adverse impacts of climate change and other reasons.

Predicting a bumper production of crops cultivated on dried up riverbeds and char lands this season in the region, Moniruzzaman, however, put emphasis on reviving water flow in the rivers round the year to improve environment, bio-diversity and ecology.

 

Crop farming on char lands brings fortune to many

Expanded cultivation of various crops on char lands and dried up riverbeds is bringing fortune to many farmers and landless poor people living in riverine areas of Rangpur agriculture region. Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said cultivation of crops on char lands is expanding every year during the dry season following appearance of shoals as a result of drying up of riverbeds and massive deposition of alluvial soils. The char people cultivated crops on 91,000 hectares of char lands and dried-up beds in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region this season, said Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office here Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam. The tender plants of various crops are growing superbly now on char lands, shoals and silted- up beds of the Brahmaputra, Teesta, Dharla, Ghaghot, Jamuna, Kartoa and other rivers and tributaries in the region giving those lands greenish looks. The char and riverside people have mostly cultivated potato and other vegetables, onion, green chili, garlic, maize, wheat, Boro rice, gourd, groundnut, kawn, pulses, till, tobacco, pumpkin, pulses, oil seed and watermelon on these lands, Islam said. Harvest of mustard, onion and vegetables is nearing completion on the char lands and dried up riverbeds though the process will begin for other cultivated crops from March next to end by late May before commencement of the rainy season. Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Mamunur Rashid said crop cultivation on char lands and silted-up riverbeds is increasing in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region during the past three decades. About 18,000 char households, who are beneficiaries of different NGOs and government organisations, cultivated pumpkin, other vegetables and crops in over 220 villages of 22 upazilas in these five districts this season, he said. River-eroded people Abul Kashem, Anwarul and Kobiza of village Paschim Mohipur in Gangachara upazila here said some 25 families of the village have cultivated pumpkin and other crops on the dried-up Teesta riverbed there this year. They said a farmer spent Taka 18,000 on an average each for cultivating pumpkin on 200 raised sandbars this time to sell the produced pumpkin at around Taka 42,000 to earn a net profit of Taka 24,000 after completing harvest by March next. I have cultivated pumpkin, onion, garlic and vegetables on the dried-up beds of the river Teesta to complete harvesting those by March next, said landless riverside farmer Abdur Razzaque of the same village. Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman said cultivation of crops takes place on char lands and dried up riverbeds with deposition of alluvial soil following adverse impacts of climate change and other reasons. Predicting a bumper production of crops cultivated on dried up riverbeds and char lands this season in the region, Moniruzzaman, however, put emphasis on reviving water flow in the rivers round the year to improve environment, bio-diversity and ecology.