Floating vegetable cultivation has gained popularity in the Char areas of Narsingdi.
After seeing two farmers profiting from the procedure, other farmers are also getting interested in the floating cultivation.
Officials from the Agricultural Department said they are working to make the farmers self-reliant through this method during the rainy season.
Most Char areas of Narsingdi Sadar upazila’s four unions remains under water during the rainy season, as a result crop fields cannot be cultivated.
A floating cultivation area in Narsingdi's Char area | Asaduzzaman Ripon/Dhaka Tribune
In 2016, Helal Khan of Alipur village of Najarpur union started this method of vegetable farming, from which he profited. He started cultivating different kinds of vegetables inside of beds made from bamboo and seaweed.
This process does not require chemical fertilizers or insecticides as a result there is no extra cost and the vegetables are fully organic for which the demand for them are more in the markets.
In the same way Helal’s brother Quaium Khan also benefited from this method.
Helal said: “The lands remain under water for half of the year and I had to sit idle during that time. After the Agricultural Department’s advice, I started the floating cultivation method.”
“By investing Tk15, 000, I sold Tk70, 000 worth of vegetables. I have also invested Tk50, 000 in five vegetable beds and getting positive results from them as well.”
The Union’s Deputy Assistant Agricultural Official Md Shamim Bhuyian said: “Farmers of the region are following the footsteps of the two brothers and we are helping them in setting up such farms.”
A floating cultivation area in Narsingdi's Char area | Asaduzzaman Ripon/Dhaka Tribune
The upazila’s Agricultural Official Md Abdul Hai said, “We are training farmers to be self-reliant under National Agricultural Training Program (NATP) which will help them in starting up the floating vegetable cultivation.”
In 2016, there were only five farmers who were cultivating in the floating method and in 2017, the number went up to 20 and in this year, 50 more have started cultivating in the floating method.
