Strawberry growers in Chapainawabganj are in deep trouble because of the fuel crisis. A severe shortage of diesel has almost brought the transport of farm produce to a standstill. Sending strawberries from different parts of the district to the capital and other major wholesale markets has become uncertain, and growers who cannot market their fruit on time face heavy financial losses.

A visit to Kalopur village in Shibganj upazila found that strawberries have been grown widely in the district this season. Favourable weather and improved seedlings have produced the expected yield. But despite good production, marketing problems have left farmers with nothing to smile about; instead, the fuel crisis has left them disheartened.

Rafiqul Islam, a strawberry grower in Kalopur, said strawberry is a highly perishable fruit and usually has to be marketed within 24 to 48 hours of picking. If it is not sold in that time it spoils quickly and is no longer fit for sale. In the present situation, the transport crisis has made that deadline almost impossible to meet.

Pickup vans, mini trucks and other small vehicles cannot take to the road for lack of diesel, and many drivers have stopped driving because they cannot get fuel. As a result, farmers' strawberries are left lying in the fields or have to be sold cheaply at local markets.

Local grower Azim Uddin said they had made a large investment in strawberries. Growing strawberries on one bigha costs about Tk 1 lakh for seed, fertiliser, pesticides, irrigation, labour, land preparation and other items. Many farmers took loans from banks or NGOs to start growing. Now, because of the crisis, they are struggling even to recover their investment.

Another grower, Nadim Ali, said: "We thought we would make a good profit this year, and the yield has been good. But now we cannot get vehicles and there is no diesel. We cannot send the fruit to Dhaka. The price we are getting in the local market does not even cover costs. Strawberries used to sell at Tk 400 a kg. Now the price has fallen to Tk 200-250."

Prices have also fallen in local markets because of oversupply. Wholesalers are buying cheaply, and farmers are being denied fair prices. The lack of any coordination in market management has made things worse.

The fuel crisis is not confined to strawberries; it has also hit mango farming. The spray machines used to apply pesticide to mango trees also run on fuel, and because of the diesel shortage they cannot be run properly.

As a result, timely spraying in orchards is being disrupted, which is harming mango output and quality. Growers fear that if the trees cannot be tended on time, pest attacks may increase, cutting yields and causing heavy losses.

Dr Md Yasin Ali, deputy director of the Chapainawabganj Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said the effects of the fuel crisis are not limited to strawberries; the same problem has arisen in transporting other vegetables and fruit. But strawberries are suffering most because they are perishable. Farmers' problems have been reported to higher authorities, and the departments concerned are working to normalise the situation, he said.

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