Vegetable Cultivation Flourishes in Rajshahi Ahead of Winter

Rezaul Karim Raju and Haidar Ali

Morning and evening fog has begun bringing a winter feel to the Barind region. Fields across the area now display rows of green winter vegetables. Farmers are smiling over a bumper harvest.

They hope to sell early vegetables before the regular season begins to fetch better prices. The normal winter vegetable season is still about two months away.

Farmers in Rajshahi’s Godagari and Paba upazilas are busy cultivating early varieties of cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant, okra, bitter gourd, and tomato. They take this risk hoping for higher prices due to lower market supply early in the season.

Agriculture officials say favorable weather this year should bring farmers good profits. According to the Rajshahi Department of Agricultural Extension, farmers grew 34 types of vegetables across 5,640 hectares in nine upazilas of the district during the 2025 to 2026 season.

During the 2024 to 2025 season, farmers grew 30 types of vegetables across 3,890 hectares. This means farming expanded by 1,750 hectares compared to last year.

Eggplant covers the largest area this year, at 958 hectares. Cauliflower covers 387 hectares, cabbage 323 hectares, beans 241 hectares, radish 435 hectares, tomato 64 hectares, red spinach 538 hectares, and Malabar spinach 302 hectares.

Paba upazila again leads in early winter vegetable cultivation this year, as it did last year. Farmer Mr. Moshharraf Hossain of Ashgram in Paba’s Damkura union grew early cauliflower and cabbage on 32 bighas of land this year.

He has already sold produce from seven and a half bighas at good profit. He said after deducting production, maintenance, and marketing costs, he earned about one hundred fifty thousand taka profit per bigha.

He sold each cauliflower for 50 to 70 taka, sometimes as high as 90 taka. He expects good profits from his remaining 25 bighas if the weather stays favorable.

Farmers say early vegetable cultivation carries some risks too. Heavy rain, disease, high production costs, and sudden price drops remain constant concerns.

Godagari farmers Mr. Rajab Ali and Mr. Mofazzul Hossain said that although early vegetables often fetch higher prices, they tend to be smaller in size and lighter in weight.

Paba upazila agriculture officer, agriculturist Mr. M. A. Mannan, said farming was once purely for survival but has now become a business. Farmers choose crops based on market demand and production costs.

He said officials encourage early cultivation while also advising farmers to use organic pesticides. Godagari upazila agriculture officer Ms. Mariam Ahmed told Inqilab that vegetable yields in the upazila have been excellent this year.

She said good transport links allow farmers to move their produce to market quickly. She expressed hope that with proper incentives and guidance, farmers will continue to benefit.