Capsicum farming by duo encourages local farmers

An uncle-and-nephew duo of a village in Moheshpur upazila of Jhenidah has achieved considerable success in farming capsicum commercially, seeding hope in officials of the local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) that its widespread cultivation here would have bright prospects.

Sultan Mahmud and his nephew, Alamgir Kabir, of Kushumpur Mathpara area under Moheshpur upazila, expect earnings of roughly Tk. 10 lakh from a single acre of land this season.

They had initially transplanted some local varieties of capsicum as an experiment but that did not bring them success. Later, with the assistance of the local DAE, they brought in seeds from Korea and prepared seed-beds in early September. They transplanted 1,500 saplings on a single acre of land in mid-October last year.

Around 60 per cent of the saplings died, the duo reported. The remainder had 12 to 15 pieces of capsicum in each. Five to six pieces of the vegetable make up a kilogram. The duo added that a temperature of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius is required for capsicum farming.

The duo has been sending 500 to 700kg of capsicum everyday to the Dhaka markets for Tk. 150 to 160 for each kilogram. The duo has been harvesting the vegetable since late December and expects the yield to continue for another four months.

Sultan Mahmud and Alamgir Kabir said they have sold their vegetables for some Tk. 4 lakh and expect another Tk. 6 lakh in the season as the plants are bearing new flowers.

The sub-assistant agriculture officer (SAAO) of Swaruppur DAE block in Moheshpur, Rabiul Kabir, said the DAE officials have been helping the farmers and providing all necessary support, including technology transfer, to ensure the success of the farming of the uncommon vegetable in remote villages.  

The SAAO said aphids and jasids, two kinds of pests, are the main enemies of capsicum. As capsicum is consumed as a vegetable, the DAE has been advising the farmers to apply health-friendly yellow and blue traps to kill the pests by an organic method to ensure poison-free green vegetables for the consumers.

The upazila agriculture officer (UAO) of Moheshpur, Hasan Ali, said the local farmers were in a dilemma when Sultan Mahmud and Alamgir Kabir started farming capsicum on an acre of land. But the farmers of surrounding areas are now confident of cultivating the vegetable. The soil of Moheshpur was suitable for capsicum farming, the UAO added.

Hasan Ali said the capsicum produced at Mathpara village is comparatively better in quality than the known varieties, adding that its farming has bright prospects in Jhenidah, Jashore, Meherpur and Chuadanga districts.

Farmers should play a vital role in exporting the uncommon vegetable to many countries and thereby help earn foreign exchange, the UAO said.  

 

Capsicum farming by duo encourages local farmers

An uncle-and-nephew duo of a village in Moheshpur upazila of Jhenidah has achieved considerable success in farming capsicum commercially, seeding hope in officials of the local Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) that its widespread cultivation here would have bright prospects. Sultan Mahmud and his nephew, Alamgir Kabir, of Kushumpur Mathpara area under Moheshpur upazila, expect earnings of roughly Tk. 10 lakh from a single acre of land this season. They had initially transplanted some local varieties of capsicum as an experiment but that did not bring them success. Later, with the assistance of the local DAE, they brought in seeds from Korea and prepared seed-beds in early September. They transplanted 1,500 saplings on a single acre of land in mid-October last year. Around 60 per cent of the saplings died, the duo reported. The remainder had 12 to 15 pieces of capsicum in each. Five to six pieces of the vegetable make up a kilogram. The duo added that a temperature of 15 to 25 degrees Celsius is required for capsicum farming. The duo has been sending 500 to 700kg of capsicum everyday to the Dhaka markets for Tk. 150 to 160 for each kilogram. The duo has been harvesting the vegetable since late December and expects the yield to continue for another four months. Sultan Mahmud and Alamgir Kabir said they have sold their vegetables for some Tk. 4 lakh and expect another Tk. 6 lakh in the season as the plants are bearing new flowers. The sub-assistant agriculture officer (SAAO) of Swaruppur DAE block in Moheshpur, Rabiul Kabir, said the DAE officials have been helping the farmers and providing all necessary support, including technology transfer, to ensure the success of the farming of the uncommon vegetable in remote villages. The SAAO said aphids and jasids, two kinds of pests, are the main enemies of capsicum. As capsicum is consumed as a vegetable, the DAE has been advising the farmers to apply health-friendly yellow and blue traps to kill the pests by an organic method to ensure poison-free green vegetables for the consumers. The upazila agriculture officer (UAO) of Moheshpur, Hasan Ali, said the local farmers were in a dilemma when Sultan Mahmud and Alamgir Kabir started farming capsicum on an acre of land. But the farmers of surrounding areas are now confident of cultivating the vegetable. The soil of Moheshpur was suitable for capsicum farming, the UAO added. Hasan Ali said the capsicum produced at Mathpara village is comparatively better in quality than the known varieties, adding that its farming has bright prospects in Jhenidah, Jashore, Meherpur and Chuadanga districts. Farmers should play a vital role in exporting the uncommon vegetable to many countries and thereby help earn foreign exchange, the UAO said.