Broad green fields lie at the foot of the hills, with a waterfall stream flowing alongside. In the light mist of early winter, farmers are busy in the fields, picking tender, fresh cucumbers from dew-soaked plants late at night or at dawn. This is the scene among farmers of East Khoiyachhara in Mirsarai, Chattogram.

Farmers here get busy even before winter sets in. Khoiyachhara cucumbers are in high demand: they are slightly sweet, very tasty and differ in flavour and aroma from cucumbers grown elsewhere, and their reputation has spread to several neighbouring districts. They are grown in fertile sandy, silty soil with sweet water from streams running down the hills, which farmers say is why they are not bland or bitter like other hybrid cucumbers.

On the ground, farmers were seen picking cucumbers in groups, filling baskets and carrying them on their heads to sell. A seasonal wholesale cucumber market sits at the East Khoiyachhara rail gate, where wholesalers from far away crowd in from the morning. Selling begins at seven and by eight the traders have loaded their vehicles and left. Wholesale prices were Tk 40-45 a kg.

Khoiyachhara farmer Sirajul Islam said families here have grown seasonal crops for generations, and the sweet water of the hill streams gives a good yield. Cucumbers have been grown here for about 25 years, alongside brinjal, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, bottle gourd, bitter gourd, yardlong beans and other vegetables.

Nurul Afsar, a farmer in the same area, said: "I planted cucumbers on 4 bighas at the start of October, and they began bearing in mid-November. At first I sold once at Tk 65 wholesale; since then they have been selling at Tk 40-45 every day. But a shortage of good-quality TSP fertiliser in the market is causing us a lot of trouble."

A farmer named Jasim Uddin complained: "Production costs are rising day by day. We have to buy everything from TSP and urea onwards at higher prices, so profits are limited. On top of that, those who farm small plots cannot buy fertiliser from the shops, because they will not sell small quantities by the kilo. Why is this happening? That is our question."

Local wholesaler Mohiuddin Selim said: "For the past eight cucumber seasons I have bought cucumbers here and sold them in Feni and Sitakunda. Wholesalers from Chattogram city, Sitakunda, Feni and Noakhali also come to buy. In the peak season 12-15 tonnes of cucumbers go to different districts every day. Khoiyachhara cucumbers are sweeter and tastier than those from other areas, which is why they are in such demand."

Mirsarai upazila agriculture officer Pratap Chandra Roy said: "Two varieties, Naogaon Green and Hatiya King, are mostly grown in Khoiyachhara. Favourable weather, sweet water from the hill streams and a somewhat higher sucrose content in these varieties make them a little sweet. Because of their distinct taste, cucumbers from here are now going beyond Mirsarai to other districts and upazilas."

Asked about rising input prices, he said: "There is enough fertiliser in the market. Like other goods, farm inputs have gone up slightly, but farmers are getting good prices for their crops. We have also been discouraging the use of too much fertiliser."

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