Mymensingh Sadar is a vegetable hub. Various vegetables are grown on more than 3,000 hectares in Boror Char, Char Paranganj, Char Kharicha and other unions of the upazila. After meeting local demand, the vegetables go to the capital Dhaka and even abroad. The vegetables grown on the chars earn about Tk 200 crore a year.

Locals said the only road in and out of this huge vegetable-growing area is the Shambhuganj-Paranganj road. The road, about 18 km long, is very narrow and full of potholes along its length; in a word, it is in a terrible state. Unfit even for people to travel on, it is wholly unsuitable for carrying vegetables or goods.

Farmers say green chilli, aubergine, tomato, cucumber, cauliflower, cabbage and other vegetables are grown on the chars. Though they work hard and get good yields, poor transport means they see no profit. The road they must use to take vegetables to the wholesale markets has been in a bad state for a long time.

Farmers add that even when they set out with vegetables at dawn, they often cannot reach the market in time. Vegetables are damaged by the jolting on the broken road, and when a vehicle gets stuck in a pothole, a day or two can pass on the road itself.

Md Abul Kalam, a farmer from Kushtiapara village, told Jagonews: "Some time ago I set off with two big trucks loaded with tomatoes, bound for the Jatrabari wholesale market. But the day was over just getting past this road in the upazila. Because of the delay I missed the market, and most of the tomatoes were crushed. Forget profit, I lost my capital that time. This happens all the time."

He said: "This road has become a thorn in the farmers' side. It is narrow and broken, with big holes. Once a wheel gets stuck, sometimes a whole day passes. If a vehicle gets stuck ahead, others are caught in the jam too. Autos, CNGs and all kinds of vehicles use it, as do vegetable trucks. But the road is completely unsuitable."

Kamrul Islam, another farmer from Boror Char, has the same complaint. He told Jagonews: "The big problem is this road. It urgently needs solving. This narrow road is not enough for such a large farming area."

Mymensingh Sadar upazila agriculture officer Tahmina Yasmin told Jagonews: "Although vegetables are grown over a huge area, there is no suitable road for transport. The road is the big problem here. Everyone at every level (of authority) knows about it, but it is not being solved."

She said: "In Sadar upazila alone, vegetables were grown on more than 3,000 hectares last year, and even more is being grown this year. Yields are good and profits higher, so vegetable farming in the area keeps growing. There is only one problem: the road and other facilities are not adequate."

Md Shahiduzzaman Khan, executive engineer of the Local Government Engineering Department (LGED) in Mymensingh, said: "The tender for the road (construction) has been done. Work will begin towards the end of January."

Farmers, however, say simply repairing the narrow road is not enough; it also needs to be widened.

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