Broccoli has Gained its Popularity among the Farmers in Gouripur

Broccoli is a winter vegetable with high nutritional content. It is full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. It looks like cauliflower but its color is green and not milky white like cauliflower.

Cultivation of broccoli is gaining popularity among the farmers in Gouripur Upazila of Mymensingh district. This nutritious vegetable has become a stroke of luck for many marginalized farmers as they are getting more income from vegetable cultivation compared to many other conventional ones in the region.

ADRA in Bangladesh is assisting the peasant communities in its project areas through its Community Empowerment Project (CEP) so they can cultivate broccoli to a wider extent. CEP – Gouripur, Mymensingh is playing an inevitable role to spread the features of the cash crops among the peasant communities with an aim to expand its popularity.

The vegetable is rich in nutrients such as proteins, vitamin C, and other minerals. In addition, it is also a vegetable that has gained a reputation for having qualities to prevent cancer.

Taking advantage of the situation, farmers are seen showing their interest in cultivating Broccoli for the last couple of years due to better output and market price. Broccoli is seen emerging in the local markets every day bringing diversity in the vegetable markets, both wholesale and retail ones.

Recently, CEP – Gouripur, Mymensingh has organized ‘Field Day’ in order to bring out the success story of Bacchu Mia in light. Bacchu Mia – a farmer who has cultivated broccoli in his one decimal of land and got outstanding produce.

“Broccoli has an abundance of nutrition. Broccoli contains sulforaphane. Which is beneficial in preventing cancer. This low-calorie vegetable is also beneficial for keeping the heart-healthy. I planted broccoli for the first time. It looks like cauliflower but the flowers are dark green like the color of the leaves instead of white.” Bacchu Mia added, “I planted 282 plants on one decimal of the land this year. Of these, 130 have been sold for BDT. 2,600. The cost without my own labor has been BDT. 300.00. Profit is 15 times higher than other crops which is amazing!”

Upazila Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Sumon Chandra Sarkar said, “For the first time in this Upazila, cultivation has been started to test the suitability of Green Crown variety of broccoli. Seeds are sown in the seedbed in mid-October. Later, it is planted in the main field in mid-November. It flowers in 65 to 75 days. Despite cultivating for the first time, thousands of farmers have come to see this broccoli field.”

The technical team of ADRA in Bangladesh is optimistic to extend the production of broccoli in the future. Community Empowerment Project (CEP) – Gouripur, Mymensingh is committed to assisting the farmers and building their capacity to raise its production for the betterment of the rural communities.