A blue net fence runs round the edge of the field. Inside are trellises of bamboo and netting, with green vines on top and clusters of fresh bitter gourd hanging below. And none of this bitter gourd has any pesticide or chemical poison on it.

Two farmers in Kumarkhali upazila of Kushtia have attracted attention by growing poison-free vegetables for the first time in the area using Good Agricultural Practices (GAP). But although the yield is good, low market prices have left them with little to smile about.

"Because poison-free and chemically treated vegetables share the same market, we are not getting the right price. Selling at the same price, we are not making much profit. We want a separate corner for poison-free vegetables in the market, so people can buy knowingly and we get a fair price," one of the farmers said.

Dabir Uddin Farazi, son of Jamarat Ali, and Abdul Bari, son of the late Toyaj Uddin, of Dhalnagar village in Chandpur union, have grown the Alisa variety of bitter gourd on three bighas. In the past 10 days they have sold 2,200 kg. The local wholesale price was Tk 30-55 a kg, bringing them about Tk 70,000. If the weather holds, they hope to sell more than 4,000 kg more over the next month and a half, worth about Tk 2.5 lakh.

The two brothers complain that there is no separate market or haat for poison-free vegetables, so they sell at the same price as everyone else and cannot profit. At this time last year bitter gourd sold for Tk 70-80 a kg, they say, but the price is now half that. Had prices stayed as they were, they would have had several lakh taka in hand.

A visit to the Dhalnagar fields, about 37 km from town, found the whole plot fenced with blue net. Pheromone traps and organic pesticides are used against insects, and organic fertiliser has been applied to the soil. One of the brothers was tending the field while the other picked bitter gourd.

Entrepreneur Dabir Uddin told Jagonews24: "Farming by the GAP method costs more. The net, the traps, the organic fertiliser, all of it has to be bought. But the yield is good and the vegetables are healthy. Buyers, though, don't want to pay for poison-free vegetables."

He said ploughing, seed, inputs and care on the three bighas cost about Tk 1.8 lakh. In the past 10 days they produced 2,200 kg, sold wholesale at Tk 35-55 a kg for Tk 65,000-70,000. If the weather is good he expects another 4,400 kg.

Dabir Uddin and Abdul Bari dream that one day their poison-free bitter gourd will reach the big markets of Dhaka and Kushtia, that buyers will choose it by its label, and that they will get a fair price.

The other entrepreneur, Abdul Bari, said: "Because poison-free and chemically treated vegetables share the same market, we are not getting the right price. Selling at the same price, we are not making much profit. We want a separate corner for poison-free vegetables in the market. Then people can buy knowingly, and we will get a fair price."

They say bitter gourd sold for Tk 70-80 a kg at this time last year but has now fallen to Tk 35-55. They are not making a loss, but the profit is very small for the effort.

According to the Upazila Agriculture Extension Office, bitter gourd has been grown on about 52 hectares in the upazila this year, including the three poison-free bighas. About 500 tonnes could be produced, worth more than Tk 1.5 crore. Bitter gourd is grown here using modern and mulching methods.

Ujjal Chowdhury, a farmer in Dhalnagar, grows various crops on about five bighas. Last year he grew bitter gourd on eight kathas, spending about Tk 12,000 and selling Tk 60,000 worth. Because of the high profit at low cost, he has grown it on 10 kathas this year and sold 90 kg in the past week. If he gets a fair price, he will grow it on more land next year.

Mohan Sheikh of the same village said growing bitter gourd with mulching on one bigha cost him about Tk 50,000 last year. This year he grew an early crop on the same area, spending about Tk 60,000 and selling Tk 1.5 lakh worth, making a good profit. If he gets agricultural incentives, he wants to grow poison-free bitter gourd with mulching next year.

Good Agricultural Practices are a set of environmentally friendly and profitable farming methods whose main aims are to ensure safe, quality food production; to protect the balance of the environment and soil health; to ensure a safe working environment and fair returns for farmers; and to increase agricultural exports to international markets.

Mulching means creating a protective layer or cover at the base of plants or on the soil surface with straw, leaves, water hyacinth or plastic sheets. It conserves moisture, controls weeds, regulates temperature, prevents soil erosion and improves nutrients.

Abdul Majed, a farmer in Jotmora village of Jadubayra union, has grown the Nabila and Alisa varieties of bitter gourd on 20 decimals using modern methods. Fruiting began 40 days after transplanting, he said, and at a cost of Tk 35,000-40,000 a bigha he is producing 55-60 maunds per bigha. But with prices lower than last time, profits are limited.

Milon Hossain, a wholesaler at Panti Tohbazar, said the market has no separate corner for poison-free vegetables. Twenty days ago bitter gourd sold at Tk 55-60 a kg; the wholesale price is now Tk 30-35.

Upazila sub-assistant agriculture officer Md Biltu Hossain said farmers this season grew bitter gourd on three bighas under GAP and on the remaining land with mulching. Because it brings more profit in less time, about 21 bighas have been planted in Dhalnagar village alone. If a separate market corner could be set up, farmers would be encouraged to grow poison-free vegetables, he said.

Upazila agriculture officer Monir Hossain said bitter gourd has been grown on 52 hectares in the upazila this year, with a production target of 500 tonnes, worth more than Tk 1.5 crore at market prices.

"Vegetables grown by the GAP method are safe for health. We are training farmers. But a separate arrangement is needed for marketing. We will put a proposal to the higher authorities for a separate haat for poison-free vegetables at upazila level," Monir Hossain said.

Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Farzana Akhter has given assurances that if large-scale production can be ensured, a separate corner for poison-free vegetables will be set up in every haat.

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