Ishwardi upazila in Pabna is known as the kingdom of beans. Beans (shim) have been grown commercially there for about 30 years, and although they are normally a winter vegetable, the upazila's farmers have been growing early beans for a dozen years, making a profit every year. This time, heavy rain has brought a virus called yellow mosaic to the bean fields, while whiteflies and aphids are also damaging the crop. Instead of dreaming of profits, farmers are at their wits' end.

Early bean cultivation starts in the Bengali month of Ashar. This year farmers faced repeated rain right from the start, and water stood in most bean fields. The heavy rain weakened the base of the plants, and the virus attacked. The bases are rotting, leaves are turning brown and yellow and falling, and vines and shoots are curling, forcing farmers to cut away the curled vines, leaves and shoots.

Most early bean fields have flowered and some have started to yield, but the heavy rain is making the flowers drop. In the adverse weather, even pesticides are not working against the virus and fungal attacks. Early beans went on sale in the last week of Srabon. With yields collapsing, fields are giving 8-10 kg a bigha; in other years at this time, 30-40 kg could be picked from a bigha every day.

According to the upazila agriculture office, this year's bean target in Ishwardi is 1,290 hectares, of which early "auto shim" beans have been grown on 890 hectares.

A visit to Ramnathpur, Betbaria, Sheikhpara, Muladuli, Faridpur, Baghhachhla, Saraikandi, Atgharia and Sripur, villages known for early beans, found most fields full of flowers with beans hanging among them, but the yield was visibly very low. Some farmers were tending plants and others picking beans. Their biggest worry is virus and fungal attack, which could cut yields and cause losses.

Mofiz Uddin Sheikh, a farmer in Baghhachhla, said: "Because of heavy rain, virus and fungus have attacked the bean fields. The shoots and vines are curling and the leaves are drying. We are suffering losses because of the virus. When we go to the pesticide company dealers they give us all sorts of pesticides, but they do not work much. We want a remedy."

Raihan Ali, a farmer in Ramnathpur, was spraying pesticide to protect his crop from the virus. He told Jago News: "This time the heavy rain has brought the virus to the early bean fields. The vines are curling and the leaves turning yellow. I have started spraying pesticide to save the plants, but it is not doing much good. I don't know what will happen to the beans this year."

Habibur Rahman, a farmer in Baghhachhla, said: "The disease that has appeared in the bean fields will reduce the yield. At some point it will become hard to sell beans. The disease is turning the leaves yellow, and every day we have to cut off vines and leaves and throw them away."

Surjoban of the same village said: "I have grown beans on one bigha, and the virus has attacked the whole field. Every morning I have to come and tear off the yellow and curled vines, leaves and shoots. The yield will fall, and the cost of fertiliser and pesticide is rising too."

Rumana Parvin, sub-assistant agriculture officer of the Saraikandi block in Muladuli union, told Jago News: "Beans have been grown on about 200 hectares in this block. Because of heavy rain, farmers could not tend the plants on time, and the virus is visible on some plants. There is no reason to be alarmed. Whiteflies and aphids can be controlled by spraying insecticide. If a plant is infected with the virus it must be uprooted, and any affected shoots and leaves must be cut off."

Ishwardi upazila agriculture officer Abdul Momin said: "Early beans have been grown on 890 hectares in Ishwardi upazila, and harvesting has already started. Farmers' production is being disrupted by heavy rain. I hope that when the rain stops, farmers will profit more."

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