Cucumber (khira) fields in Mirsarai, Chattogram, have been hit by a viral disease. Even after applying medicine on the advice of the upazila agriculture office, farmers have found no cure. The cucumber growers are at a loss and are pinning their hopes on at least recovering what they invested.

According to the upazila agriculture office, cucumber has been grown on 100 acres in Mirsarai upazila this season. The largest area is in Khaiyachhara union, with slightly less in Hinguli union.

Farmers say that because the crop is profitable, about fifty farmers here have grown cucumber for the past 15 years, and the area has grown every year. This year, though, their hopes have been dashed. Most of the plants have been hit by a viral disease, and various treatments have brought no relief.

"I have been growing cucumber for 12 years and have made a good profit every year," said Md Joynal Abedin. "This year the plants are turning yellow and dying before they bear fruit. I have applied medicine and sprays, but nothing has worked. I have spent about Tk 30,000 so far growing cucumber on 30 decimals. Now I am working in the field all day in the hope of at least getting back what I put in."

"I grew cucumber on 25 decimals," said Ala Uddin. "The plants were fine at first. A few days ago I saw rot at the base of the plants. After I applied medicine, the whole plant wilted. The plants have not even flowered yet, whereas every year I am selling cucumbers in the market at this time. It looks like I will make a loss this year."

It is not only Joynal and Ala Uddin; the fields of many farmers have been hit by the viral disease in the same way.

Md Shahjahan, the sub-assistant agriculture officer in charge, said: "About 50 acres of this union are under cucumber. Because the rain did not come on time, farmers planted late. Cucumber plants turn yellow every year, but it clears up when medicine is applied. This time they have a viral disease, so medicine is not helping. I advised farmers to mark and pull out the plants in the parts of the field that have yellowed and wilted. But because they did not pull them out, the plants across the whole field were damaged."

Upazila agriculture officer Raghunath Naha said: "We tell farmers again and again to mark and uproot the plants as soon as they see this disease, but they do not, and so there is a risk of it spreading across the whole field. Even so, farmers make a profit by selling the produce of the plants that stay healthy."

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