Bean growing has fallen this season in Ishwardi, Pabna, an upazila famous for its beans, Daily Bangladesh reports. The upazila Department of Agricultural Extension had targeted 1,290 hectares, but about 480 hectares fewer were sown, roughly 36 percent below target. Farmers blame higher production costs, disappointing prices and problems with inputs.
Muladuli union holds about 80 percent of Ishwardi's bean land, across villages such as Potirajpur, Arkandi, Nekrohata, Ramnathpur and Diluhat. Beans are also grown in Dashuria and Salimpur unions.
Sharecropper Ashraful Islam of Muladuli grows beans on two bighas. Preparing the land, sowing and building trellises alone cost about Tk 15,000 a bigha, before fertiliser and pesticide. He says extension officers never visit the fields. Farmer Imran says flowers keep dropping despite fertiliser and pesticides, so he relies on shopkeepers' advice. Another farmer, Afil, says a shortage of government fertiliser has increased the use of illegal and substandard fertiliser and pesticides.
Upazila agriculture officer Abdul Momin said heavy rain and heat are causing the flowers to drop. He maintained that pesticides on the market are government-approved but acknowledged that, for lack of funds, the quality of fertiliser and pesticides cannot be tested as needed. Work has begun to ensure good-quality supplies, he said, and he expects the shortage to ease soon.
Beans are a major pre-winter earner for Ishwardi farmers and are sent across the country. Whether the smaller area affects market supply will depend on yields over the rest of the season. The report is by Daily Bangladesh's Ishwardi correspondent.
Photo: Kamrul Islam Shahin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0); bean plant and flowers
Source: Daily Bangladesh
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