Joypurhat farmers have had a bumper harvest of radish and cauliflower this winter but are not getting a price for them, leaving them in despair. Radish is now selling for just Tk 40 a maund in the market, and cauliflower for Tk 2 each.

Farmers say that at these prices they cannot even recover their production costs. The agriculture department says prices have started to fall because of high production.

Plenty of winter vegetables have been grown this year in Joypurhat, known as a granary, but prices have fallen because of heavy supply to the markets. Radish has fallen the most and is now selling at Tk 1 a kg in the wholesale market.

Ramjan Ali, a farmer from Bishnupur village in Joypurhat Sadar upazila, told Jagonews: "This year I grew radish on three bighas. Land preparation, seed, fertiliser and pesticide cost about Tk 10,000 a bigha. I got good prices at first, but now there is no price for radish and I am in real trouble."

Other radish farmers in the district are in the same position. They said radish sold for Tk 2,500 a maund at the start, but now they must sell for less than Tk 40. So much radish has reached the haats that prices are low, and they sit at the market with radish and cauliflower for lack of buyers. "Forget profit, we are not even covering our costs," they said.

Rafiqul Islam, a farmer from Jamalpur village in Joypurhat Sadar upazila, told Jagonews: "I planted cauliflower on 30 decimals. I got a fairly good price at first, but now cauliflower does not even fetch Tk 2 each. We will make no profit like this."

Yakub Ali, a trader at Joypurhat town's Natun Bazar, told Jagonews that truck fares for taking vegetables to the wholesale markets at Karwan Bazar and Jatrabari in the capital have risen. Including labour, it costs Tk 300 to 350 per maund of radish or cauliflower to reach Dhaka, so traders are not making much profit either.

Agriculturist Rahela Parvin, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), told Jagonews that good weather this year brought good yields, exceeding the target. Farmers grew large amounts of radish and cauliflower at the same time as other vegetables, so supply to markets is high. Vegetables are perishable and with no storage facilities farmers have to sell straight after harvest, and because of syndicates and other problems they do not get the real price, she said.

The target for winter vegetables this Rabi season was set at 4,730 hectares, but with favourable weather about 5,000 hectares were planted.

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