Migrant tomato growers — farmers who lease other people's land to grow tomatoes — are making good money in Moulvibazar. Yields are good and so are prices. Tomatoes have been grown on 1,050 hectares in the district, most of all in Sadar and Kamalganj upazilas.

In the Patrakhola tea garden area of Madhabpur union in Kamalganj upazila, farmers have leased land to grow tomatoes. Their homes are a few kilometres from the fields; they lease land from owners in different places. Ripe tomatoes are already being sold, and some are turning yellow and red. In the Patrakhola club area, 30 growers from different parts of the upazila have separately leased about 90 bighas for a year to grow tomatoes, paying Tk 5,000–7,000 a bigha.

Md Tawhid, a farmer from Moddhobhag in neighbouring Adampur union, has grown tomatoes here for two years. This time he grew them on 5 bighas. Labour, bamboo, seedlings, fertiliser and pesticide cost about Tk 1 lakh per bigha, and a seedling costs Tk 8–10. He has spent about Tk 5 lakh and so far sold about Tk 6 lakh worth of tomatoes. Sales began in the Bengali month of Bhadra and can continue until Chaitra. At first he sold wholesale at Tk 70 a kg; now he sells at Tk 35–40.

Tomato grower Md Shimul said: "I used to grow rice, but it did not pay much. Now I am doing well with tomatoes. I have grown them on 8 bighas at a cost of Tk 9 lakh. I have already sold Tk 11 lakh worth of tomatoes and can sell another Tk 6–7 lakh."

The growers said 120–130 labourers work on their land, and about Tk 2 crore worth of tomatoes will be sold from the fields. But they complain that agriculture department staff do not come; only people from pesticide companies do.

In the Katabil area, 12 farmers have grown tomatoes along the bank of the Dhalai river. Katabil grower Abdur Razzak said: "The tomato market is good this time. But our problem is that the plants die. We suffer losses when the plants wilt. We get no advice from the agriculture department. Pesticide company people come to persuade us to buy their products."

The district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said early BARI-4 and BARI-8, Ecop and Raja tomatoes had been grown on 1,050 hectares in the district this year, including summer tomatoes from grafted seedlings. About 22 tonnes of tomatoes were produced per hectare. Many growers have also profited by selling grafted seedlings; one farmer sold Tk 5–7 lakh worth.

DAE deputy director Kazi Lutful Bari said: "At first tomatoes sold for Tk 150 retail, and they are still Tk 50–60 a kg. Our people go less to the tea garden areas, and farmers may also have less contact with us. It should not be that they cannot find sub-assistant agriculture officers. Why would they not get advice if they report a problem? Farmers have to tell us about their problems."

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