Our Correspondent

RANGPUR, Jan 28: Farmers in different upazilas under Rangpur district are making a good profit by cultivating cauliflower on their cropland during the current season.

Many farmers who once used to cultivate paddy, wheat, jute and other crops in their fields are now cultivating cauliflower as the cultivation of it has become relatively more lucrative than the other crops.

Ramzan Ali of Hazratpur village under Mithapukur upazila in the district told FE he has brought three bighas of land under cauliflower cultivation this season and earned Tk 20,000 so far. He is also expecting more dividents during the remaining part of this season. Hundreds of farmers of the upazila and other parts of the district have become able to overcome the curse of poverty by growing cauliflower, he added.

Malek Miah, another farmer at Talukhabu village under Gangachhra upazila in the district said that he cultivated cauliflower on his farmlands this season instead of paddy as the low price of the paddy disheartened him last season. He has also got satisfactory output of the produce so far and is quite optimistic of making handsome profit by selling the produce in the market.

Obaidul, a farmer at Dhaperhat area under Rangpur sadar upazila said that started growing cauliflower on a piece of fallow land on an experimental basis two years ago and achieved expected profit which encouraged him to cultivate it on a large scale this season. He is delighted to get better yield, he further said. If the cultivators get interest-free loans and other agricultural inputs, they will greatly be benefited by farming the vegetable, he added.

Welding shop menace

Another report says: The welding workshops in different areas of Rangpur city as well as other upazilas including populous areas and busy roads have been creating chaotic situations and causing health hazards to the people.

Sources said, there are many welding workshops operating in the city and other upazilas of the district causing serious health hazardous.

Almost all the welding workshops are established in an unplanned manner. They occupy roads, foothpaths and hinder traffic movements, sources alleged.

Moreover, the sparks and noise pollution created by the workshops cause harmful effect on the pedestrian particularly the children are the worst victims. The general people of the district urged the concerned authority to take necessary steps in this regard.