Extreme heat and an intense heatwave have caused Dinajpur's summer tomato market to crash. Tomatoes that sold for Tk 1,100 a maund at the start are now selling for Tk 300 to 350 a maund.

On one hand, tomatoes cannot be left in the fields in the heat; on the other, wholesalers cannot buy them and supply markets around the country. Tomatoes are rotting in the heat both on the road and in the fields.

The largest summer tomato market in the northern region is held at Gabura bazar in No. 4 Shekhpura union, Dinajpur Sadar upazila. It runs from 3am to 9am.

Dinajpur's summer tomatoes are in demand across the country. After growing this healthy, tasty crop, farmers are now losing money on sales. At first they sold to wholesalers for up to Tk 1,100 a maund, but now they cannot get even Tk 400 at the most. The reason is the heat: farmers cannot keep the tomatoes in the fields, and the fruit ripens while still small. This has increased supply to the market and pushed prices down.

According to the Dinajpur district Department of Agricultural Extension, summer tomatoes were grown on 960 hectares this year, up from 934 hectares last year. The agriculture office also said two mini cold stores to preserve tomatoes are being built in Birganj and Chirirbandar upazilas, a long-standing demand of farmers.

The agriculture office said summer tomatoes have been grown for the past 24 years in Dinajpur Sadar and Chirirbandar, Khansama, Birganj, Biral and Phulbari upazilas. Seed is sown in December, the plants fruit within two months and the tomatoes start ripening a month later. The crop stays in the fields until June.

The huge tomato market at Gopalpur (Gabura) bazar in Shekhpura union is in full swing, with more than 150 trucks of tomatoes leaving every day for different parts of the country. It will run until June.

Shariful Islam of Sarkarpara in Shekhpura union, Ranjit Roy, Kamal and Ruhi Das of Burithan in Dakshin Shibpur village, Habibur Rahman of Miajipara in Sundarban union and Liakat Ali of Sadarpur said three varieties, Rani, Bipul Plus and Proven Seed, had been grown. With higher fertiliser and seed prices and higher wages for labourers, production costs rose this year, and although yields have increased they are not getting the prices they hoped for, leading to losses.

They said the tomatoes are selling at Tk 300 to 350 a maund depending on quality, whereas at this time in other years they would get Tk 700 to Tk 1,000 a maund. They blamed the crash on early ripening in the heat, lower output because of small size, and being unable to keep the crop in the fields.

Wholesale traders Wafez Molla, Tara Mia, Delwar Matbar and Shafi said more than 150 vehicles take tomatoes from the market every day to Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and other districts. Tomatoes are now trading at a maximum of Tk 350 a maund, though some sell for up to Tk 400 depending on quality, compared with Tk 1,000 to 1,100 at the start. The market will run until June, they said.

Md Nuruzzaman, deputy director of the Dinajpur Department of Agricultural Extension, told Somoyer Alo that Dinajpur's tasty, healthy summer tomatoes have met the country's off-season demand for 24 years, and the cultivation and production targets rise every year.

Asked why prices are low despite high yields, he said sales from the fields had only just begun, and farmers were picking tomatoes early because of the heat and fear of rain, so prices had dipped somewhat. But prices would rise within a few days, he said.

He said the mini cold stores being built in Chirirbandar and Birganj would, once completed, raise the district's summer tomato cultivation and production targets.

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