Farmers in Shobhan area of Faridganj upazila, Chandpur, are turning discarded water hyacinth from the Dakatia River into floating beds for chemical-free vegetable cultivation. The practice has become an income source while supplying consumers with safer vegetables. Farmers grow 15 to 17 varieties, including bottle gourd, pumpkin and red amaranth, and later use the remaining beds as organic fertilizer.

Farmer Sahid Talukdar began experimenting with the method after seeing floating-bed seedlings brought from Barishal by a plant seller three decades ago. More than 100 farmers in Shobhan village now follow the approach, while trainees and farmers from other districts and upazilas visit Faridganj to observe it. Talukdar said he made 60 floating beds this year at a cost of about Tk350,000 and expects earnings of around Tk1 million.

Farmer Abu Taher said creating a one-decimal bed costs about Tk5,000 and can generate Tk10,000 to Tk12,000. Faridganj agriculture officer Kallol Kishore Sarkar said the department has arranged 28 demonstrations and that expanded training and technical support could raise production several times.