Bangi, grown cheaply as a companion crop with garlic, has been popular and profitable, and farmers in Gurudaspur, Natore, have grown it for 20 years. This year low demand and poor prices have left them frustrated. With picking and transport costs not covered, many farmers' bangi is rotting in the fields.

Farmers said they grew bangi eagerly because it was in demand and profitable. This year, sudden lack of buyers and a price crash have put them in difficulty. As labour and transport costs cannot be recovered, farmers are losing interest in harvesting the fruit, and most of it is rotting in the fields.

Abdul Wahab, a farmer from Poalshura Daripara in the upazila, said he grew bangi on two bighas this year. The same area brought in Tk 80,000 last year, but this year he has sold only Tk 18,000 worth. With no buyers at the market, he often has to leave heaps of bangi behind and go home.

At least 10 farmers, including Tomet Ali of Udbaria village and Sohel of Nayabazar, said most of them are sharecroppers. Leasing a bigha costs Tk 35,000 to 40,000. With the lease, ploughing, seed, fertiliser, irrigation and labour, growing garlic costs more than Tk 1 lakh per bigha. Bangi, the companion crop, used to recover about half that cost. With no price this year, they are asking the government for incentives and interest-free farm loans to make up the losses.

Local wholesaler Shahin Ali said: "Every day 80 to 100 trucks of bangi go from Gurudaspur to districts across the country. Last year the wholesale price was Tk 20-35 a fruit, but this year, with no demand, it is selling for Tk 8 to 10. Even bought cheaply it does not sell, so bangi is rotting and wholesalers are losing their capital."

Gurudaspur upazila agriculture officer Harunar Rashid said: "Gurudaspur's bangi is famous across the country. This year bangi was grown on 850 hectares and the yield was good thanks to favourable weather. Prices have fallen somewhat, but growers will not lose much."

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