Miscreants have cut down 2,500 bitter gourd plants belonging to a very poor farmer named Md Faruk in Subarnachar, Noakhali. It happened on Friday (3 March) night in Char Jabbar village of the upazila's Char Jabbar union.

"I have no enmity with anyone. I do not know who could have such enmity towards bitter gourd plants," Md Faruk said. "I planted 2,500 bitter gourd plants on one acre at a cost of five lakh taka. Most of the plants had plenty of fruit."

He said he was in the field until Friday evening and at night took the first maund of bitter gourd he had picked to market and sold it. But during the night the miscreants cut all the plants at the base and pulled them up. "When I came this (Saturday) morning I saw I had lost everything. All the plants in the field have collapsed. With a good yield this year, I had hoped to sell ten lakh taka worth of bitter gourd."

Local UP member Riazul Mawla Chowdhury said Faruk had spent all his earnings on this land and had now lost everything. Such incidents have happened in the area before, he said, demanding that the culprits be found and brought to justice.

Upazila agriculture officer Harun Ar Rashid said someone had cut and uprooted Faruk's plants. The farmer has been advised to take legal action, and the agriculture department will also help him with farm incentives.

Char Jabbar police station officer-in-charge (OC) Deb Priya Das said police visited the spot after being informed and would take legal action after investigating.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.