Teknaf upazila in Cox's Bazar has had a bumper cucumber crop this year. Good weather brought strong yields across its fields, and growers selling early cucumbers have had good prices.
Growers complain, though, that they could not get fertiliser when they needed it. Cucumber plants need fertiliser at set times to grow and keep yielding, they say, and late supply risks lower output. Land preparation, seed, fertiliser, irrigation and care already cost a good deal.
Muktar Ahmed of Pendolpara in Sabrang, who grows cucumbers every year, says both yield and price are good this year but getting fertiliser was a struggle, and high pesticide prices have raised his costs. Another grower, Md Yasin, says higher fertiliser prices pushed up his costs but he expects a profit rather than a loss.
Because cucumber is a short-duration crop that pays quickly, many farmers are turning to it.
Teknaf upazila agriculture officer Humayun Kabir says growers will cover costs and make a good profit if current prices hold. He says there is no shortage of fertiliser in Teknaf and supplies meet farmers' demand.
The report was filed by Krishi Shomoy's Cox's Bazar correspondent.
Photo: a cucumber plant's tendril, Friedrich Haag / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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