Growers of auto beans, the off-season bean, in Ishwardi, Pabna, have started harvesting. Every day or two, four to five kg of beans can be picked from a bigha. Wholesalers come to the fields and buy at Tk 150 to 160 a kg, while many farmers sell at vegetable wholesale depots and local markets.

In Saraikandi, Baghhachhla and Patirajpur villages of Muladuli union in Ishwardi upazila, the early variety of auto bean has been grown on hundreds of hectares. Planting began in the first week of Jaishtha, and picking started about three months later.

Farmers said that because the expected rain did not come in Jaishtha, Asharh and Shraban, the auto bean crop has been relatively poor this year in the severe drought. Countless plants died, and farmers spent extra pulling them up and replanting. Yields are lower than in other years. Had the rain come on time, the market would have been full of auto beans by now, they said.

Sharif Uddin, a farmer in Saraikandi village, said growing early beans has changed the fortunes of farmers in the area. Early beans have been grown in several villages of Muladuli union for about 10 years. Beans, known as a winter vegetable, begin bearing here in Shraban, so farmers profit well by selling them early.

This year the yield is low for lack of rain, he said. Farmers have begun picking three to five kg from their land, and wholesalers come to the fields to buy at Tk 150 to 160 a kg. Taken to local markets, the beans sell for a little more.

Anwar Hossain of Baghhachhla village said farmers have started picking, but the fields are not producing what they should. In other years the fields are full of beans at this time; now only four or five kg a bigha are being picked. Severe drought at the start of Asharh did great damage to the bean fields, which is why the yield has been poor. He hopes farmers will be able to bring enough early beans to market at the start of next month.

Bean wholesaler Abdul Jalil said the beans sell retail at Tk 180 to 200 a kg in local markets. "We buy beans directly from the fields and sell them to vegetable sellers at village markets," he said.

Mohan Hossain, a trader at the Ishwardi municipal daily vegetable market, said he bought five kg of beans from a farmer at Tk 160 a kg and is selling at Tk 180 to 200. Although the price is higher than other vegetables, customers are buying beans as a new vegetable in the market, he said.

Aminur Rahman Babu Dewan, a trader at the Muladuli vegetable wholesale depot, told Jago News that farmers have started bringing two to four kg of beans each to the depot, perhaps three to four maunds in a whole day. Although the early bean season has begun, there is hardly any trade, he said.

Abdur Razzak, general secretary of the Muladuli wholesale traders' association, told Jago News that at this time in other years the Muladuli depot is full of early beans, but this year severe drought has badly damaged the crop. Farmers are bringing two to four kg each and selling to the traders at Tk 150 to 160 a kg. The beans go with other vegetables to the capital and district towns, and in the capital they are selling at Tk 220 to 250 a kg.

Upazila agriculture officer Mita Sarkar told Jago News that beans are grown on 1,300 hectares in the upazila, and farmers here profit from early beans every year. This year severe drought has done some damage, but early beans have started reaching the market and she hopes farmers will profit again.

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