Okra farming becoming popular in Khulna

Cultivation of okra (ladies finger) is becoming popular among the farmers in 28 villages under Batiaghata upazila of Khulna district.They are going for extensive farming of the green vegetable to recoup the losses form boro paddy.
Farmers in the district failed to get expected profit from boro paddy due to its unfair price.
Earlier, they suffered huge loss in shrimp cultivation which was affected by virus following cyclonic storms Sidr and Aila.
Besides, production of aman paddy also did not come as expected due to excessive rain in the district.
As a result, to recover from the losses they are now opting for okra cultivation.
Dry weather has made it possible for farmers in the 28 villages to get yield of the vegetable even beyond expectation, enabling them to cover the earlier losses.
Production of okra on one acre land costs Tk32,000 and it sells at up to Tk1.5 lakh.
Nirmal Boiragi of Hetal Bunia village for the first time cultivated okra on his 15 katha land.
He sowed Sinjenta and Suruchi varieties of seeds spending about Tk 12,000 and now expects more than Tk 30,000 income from his produce.
Teacher of BHMH Secondary School Gourdas Dhali said Tk32,000 is needed to cultivate okra on one acre land.
Okra worth Tk1.5 lakh can be harvested from the land between Bangla months Chaitra and Jaistha.
Batiaghata sadar union member Sheuli Mistri said for the first time the farmers are getting interested to cultivate the vegetable instead of boro and aman.
This will generate employment opportunity for hundreds of people in the dry season, he added.
If the farmers get bank loan, cultivation of okra will expand in the region largely, he hoped.
Mojibur Rahman, deputy assistant officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension, Batiaghata, said there has been an increased cultivation of okra in the district this season compared to the last year.
(UNB, Khulna)

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