Farmers in Ishwardi cannot profit despite a bumper crop of early carrots. As well as rising fertiliser and seed prices, imports of carrots from abroad mean farmers are not getting a fair price for home-grown carrots.

Farmers say favourable weather has given a good early carrot crop this year, with a bigha of carrots selling for Tk 1.10 lakh to Tk 1.20 lakh. But the cost of growing carrots has nearly doubled compared with other years. Farmers bought carrot seed at Tk 21,500 a kg this year, against Tk 17,500 last year, a rise of Tk 4,000 a kg.

Because of an artificial fertiliser shortage, they had to buy fertiliser at almost double the government-set price. Labour wages have risen, and a severe drought at the start of the season meant twice as much irrigation as usual. In other years growing carrots cost at most Tk 40,000 a bigha; this year it has cost Tk 60,000–70,000.

At Bharaimari and Naodapara, known as the carrot villages of Ishwardi, day labourers were lifting carrots from the fields. Wholesale traders had bought the crop in the field. Workers were carrying the carrots in sacks to be washed, putting them in water and treading on them to clean off the soil. Others were packing them for market and loading them onto trucks.

Rokon Ali Khan, a carrot grower in Bharaimari Bangalpara village, told Jagonews: "Carrots are grown twice a year on the same land here. Early carrot seed is sown at the start of September every year and the crop is ready in three months. The second crop is sown at the end of November or start of December. This time the early crop is good, but carrot imports have left the market for local carrots slack. We ask the government to stop importing carrots and ensure a fair price for local carrots. Otherwise, if farmers don't get a fair price, they will lose interest in growing carrots."

Carrot grower Zia said: "Growing a bigha of carrots costs Tk 40,000–50,000 for fertiliser, seed, pesticide, power tiller hire and labour. Rent or lease on the land adds another Tk 20,000. So a bigha costs at least Tk 70,000. I sold my carrots for Tk 1.10 lakh. Carrots take 90 days, and I have to be busy looking after them for those 90 days. If you count my own wages for 90 days, there's nothing left as profit."

These figures make one thing clear: farmers can no longer profit from growing carrots. Foreign carrots have taken over the market and farmers are not getting a fair price. If that continues, farmers will eventually turn away from carrots.

Grower Kabirul Islam said Ishwardi produces large amounts of vegetables and local fruit, but ordinary farmers do not get a fair price for them. Ishwardi's carrots are the first to reach the capital's markets, yet farmers do not reap the benefit of growing early carrots. With no storage facility for vegetables and fruit in Ishwardi, farmers have to sell their produce cheaply and are deprived of a fair price.

Carrot trader Alam Pramanik said demand for Ishwardi's early carrots is strong, and they are the first to appear in the capital's markets. Carrots are selling here at Tk 35 to 40 a kg and are supplied to Dhaka, Narayanganj, Sylhet, Chattogram, Barishal and other district towns. About 15 trucks of carrots leave Bharaimari, Baktarpur and Naodapara every day for different parts of the country, and another 5 trucks are marketed from villages in Lakshmikunda and Sahapur unions.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Mita Sarkar told Jagonews: "Carrots have been grown on 890 hectares in Ishwardi upazila this year. Because carrots are profitable and nutritious, the area grows every year. The crop is good this time. Carrots have been grown across villages in Lakshmikunda, Sahapur and Salimpur unions. Ishwardi's carrots are the first on the country's markets. The agriculture department always supports carrot growers with advice."

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