A big harvest of early winter vegetables in Dhamrai, Dhaka, brought smiles to farmers' faces, but the wholesale prices have wiped them away. While shoppers are paying high prices at retail markets, farmers are selling at wholesale for only Tk 5-7 more than before, that is, Tk 20-40 a kg. The same is true of leafy greens.

Rising retail prices for early winter vegetables have emptied consumers' pockets. But the extra money is not reaching farmers; middlemen are the ones profiting.

Visits to Hatkora, Barbaria, Kalampur, Depashai, Joypura, Kawalipara, Dhamrai and other local retail markets in the upazila found vegetable prices Tk 20 to Tk 30 higher than last week, depending on the market. Lemon, aubergine, pointed gourd and cucumber were selling at Tk 60-70 a kg, bitter gourd at Tk 60-80, radish and okra at Tk 50-70 and papaya at Tk 30-40. Cauliflower was Tk 80-100 a piece, cabbage Tk 60-80 and bottle gourd Tk 45-60. Red amaranth and Malabar spinach were Tk 50-65 a kg, depending on size.

Traders, however, said vegetable prices would fall somewhat within the next week.

Farmers said that although retail prices are high, wholesale prices have barely risen. At wholesale, aubergine, pointed gourd and cucumber sell for Tk 30-40 a kg, and radish and okra for Tk 20-40.

Mokhles and Abul Hossain, vegetable sellers at Kharar Char market in Dhamrai, said: "Various early winter vegetables have come in and retail prices have gone up. But we are not getting the price. Given the cost of growing them, we don't think we will make much of a profit."

Dhamrai upazila agriculture officer Ariful Hasan told Jagonews that prices had risen somewhat because floods and rain had destroyed vegetables in the fields two or three times. He hoped the extra prices would settle within a few days.

Asked about low wholesale prices, he said the office would stand by any farmer who contacted it and would arrange to buy farmers' vegetables and send them to the government agricultural marketing centres in Dhaka. For this, farmers need to contact the upazila office.

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