Bitter gourd, ribbed gourd, snake gourd and cucumber: the farmers from Baniary village in Matibhanga union of Pirojpur's Nazirpur upazila are reaping the benefits of vegetable cultivation.

"We've always farmed vegetables a little," says grower Ujjal Akarshon, "but for the last four years all the farmers have become committed to vegetable cultivation on account of the good money to be made." Ujjal has grown bitter gourd this year, fitting out his 50 decimals of land with beams and racks suitable for the crop.

Bitter gourd cultivated on the bank of a pond grows well on a bamboo platform set over the water body, a means adopted to maximise land utilisation for vegetable farming. Photo: Star

"From April to August vegetable cultivation keeps us busy," says another farmer Parimol Mojumder. "During these months we sow the seeds, tend the plants and collect the harvest." Every morning vegetables are produced at various local markets, primarily for selling to wholesalers.

"In the past, we bought vegetables from other areas," says Juran Bala, another grower from the area. "But now our village supplies vegetables."

Another advantage of vegetables is the potential to grow them over ponds, which engages pond land in a dual agricultural production of both vegetables and fish.

According to farmers as the paddy price has decreased, growing rice is increasingly liable to incur losses, while vegetables are certain to make a tidy profit, at least seven times higher than what might be possible with paddy.

In addition, the increasing use of sex pheromone traps to replace pesticides keeps farmer expenses to a minimum.

Nazirpur upazila agriculture office sources estimate around 1,300 farmers in Baniary cultivate vegetables, including raised above 400 hectares of fish project land.