Mojibar Rahman, 65, a farmer in Betbaria village of Ishwardi upazila in Pabna, sold okra from his land to a trader at Tk 15 a kg. Hundreds of farmers like him sell okra every day at the Muladuli Ambagan wholesale vegetable market in the upazila. From there 18-20 tonnes of okra go by truck every day to wholesale markets in divisional and district towns. Okra the farmer sells for Tk 15 a kg sells for Tk 40-50 a kg in Dhaka and other cities. Between farmer and consumer, middlemen take Tk 25 to 35 a kg, and both farmers and consumers lose out.

According to the Ishwardi upazila agriculture office, okra has been grown on about 400 hectares in the upazila, most of it in Muladuli and Salimpur unions. The Muladuli Ambagan market trades okra from Ishwardi and five neighbouring upazilas, and vegetables are sent from there by truck across the country every day.

Mojibar Rahman said it cost Tk 5 a kg to have okra picked by day labourers and carried to market by hired vehicle, and at the wholesale market it sells for Tk 13-15 a kg. "Fertiliser, seed and pesticide prices are sky-high, yet farmers don't get a price for okra. On television I see okra selling for Tk 50-60 a kg in Dhaka. Here we get Tk 13-15."

Farmer Anarul Islam said he brought okra (bhendi) to the Muladuli market and sold it at Tk 13-15 a kg. "At the current price there is no profit for farmers; the money goes on fertiliser and pesticide. Okra from here sells for Tk 40-50 a kg across the country. Middlemen profit, but farmers and consumers always lose."

Abu Bakkar, a trader at the Muladuli Ambagan market, said he had bought okra that day at Tk 15-16 a kg. Transport, tolls, labour for trading, loading and unloading, crates and the Dhaka wholesaler's commission add Tk 8 to 9 a kg to reach Dhaka, so okra bought at Tk 15-16 costs Tk 25-26 by the time it reaches a Dhaka wholesale market. There are further costs there for labour, the wholesaler's toll and van fare. The wholesaler then sells to retailers and small traders at Tk 30-32 a kg, and retailers sell at whatever price they like, from Tk 40 to 60.

Trader Mostafa Kamal said he bought okra at Tk 15 a kg. It will cost Tk 24-25 by the time it reaches Karwan Bazar in Dhaka, and about Tk 30 in all after the wholesalers' tolls, van fare and labour. They will sell at Tk 31-32, and then, through retailers' manipulation, consumers will have to buy it at Tk 40-60 a kg.

Abdur Razzak, general secretary of the Muladuli Ambagan wholesalers' association, told Jagonews24 that it is one of the largest wholesale vegetable markets in the northern region and supplies the whole country. Traders buy directly from farmers there after bargaining. As soon as a kilo of okra is bought for Dhaka, costs rise by Tk 9-10, and about Tk 7-8 more is spent once it reaches Dhaka, making Tk 15-17 a kg in all. Okra bought at Tk 15 is priced at Tk 30-32 by the time Dhaka wholesalers sell it to retailers, who then sell at whatever price they choose. "If it is sold in Dhaka's footpath markets it goes for Tk 40-50 a kg, and in a big kitchen market for Tk 60. Neither farmers nor wholesalers like us make much from okra. The ones who profit most are the retailers."

Md Badsha, a vegetable trader at Khurshid's wholesale shop in Karwan Bazar, told Jagonews24 by phone that it costs about Tk 10 to get a kilo of okra from Muladuli to Karwan Bazar, and another Tk 5-7 in wholesale commission, labour and van fare in Dhaka. Wholesalers sell to retailers at Tk 30-32 a kg, and ordinary consumers are forced to buy at the retailers' price. So okra bought at Tk 15 a kg in Muladuli is bought by ordinary consumers in Dhaka at Tk 40-50 a kg.

Rumana Yasmin, sub-assistant agriculture officer for Muladuli union, told Jagonews24 that Muladuli union grows the most okra in the upazila. Growing a bigha of okra costs Tk 30,000-35,000, and Tk 10,000 more on leased land, so Tk 40,000-45,000 in all. With a good yield, more than Tk 1 lakh worth of okra is sold per bigha. Farmers would profit more if they could sell straight from the field to marketing firms, she said.

Ishwardi upazila agriculture officer Mita Sarkar told Jagonews24 that when the supply of a product rises, its price falls somewhat, and okra prices are a little lower now. But farmers got good prices at the start of the season, and overall they have profited from okra. "I am hopeful farmers will profit even more if the market system improves further," she said.

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