Natore's garlic growers have had a good harvest but are making losses because prices are low. They are losing Tk 15,000-20,000 a bigha over their production costs, and the district's garlic farmers are becoming discouraged from growing the crop.

The agriculture department says that because farmers in the district got big yields and good prices in past years with their own zero-tillage (binahal) method, they have kept growing garlic year after year, making Natore the country's largest garlic-producing district.

According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension, garlic was grown on a total of 22,855 hectares in Natore last rabi season: 8,993 hectares in Baraigram, 7,375 in Gurudaspur, 2,880 in Natore Sadar, 426 in Naldanga, 1,100 in Lalpur, 1,073 in Bagatipara and 1,005 in Singra. At least 137,130 tonnes of garlic were produced in the district this time.

Visits to Naldanga upazila sadar and Lakshmikol market in Baraigram found garlic now selling at Tk 1,200 to Tk 2,000 a maund.

Farmer Afaz Uddin, who came to sell garlic at Naldanga market, said their garlic sold for Tk 9,000-11,000 a maund last year. "Because we got a good price, we grew garlic again hoping for more profit, but now a maund is selling for just Tk 1,200 to at most Tk 2,000. We are not even recovering our production costs."

He said growing a bigha of garlic costs Tk 50,000-60,000 and the yield was 20-30 maunds a bigha. But farmers had stored the garlic hoping for more profit, and as it dried and lost weight, it came down to 20 maunds a bigha. On that basis they are losing Tk 15,000-20,000 a bigha. Instead of profit, farmers are counting losses and are dismayed at this unusual price collapse.

Farmers Rafiqul Islam, Moyen Uddin and Ramjan Ali at Lakshmikol market said planting, weeding, fertiliser and pesticide, harvesting, trimming, sorting and storing at home cost about Tk 50,000-60,000 a bigha. Each bigha produced at most 20-25 maunds, and the garlic from a bigha can now be sold for at most Tk 40,000. As a result, farmers are losing at least Tk 900-1,000 a maund, and those who leased land to grow garlic are losing even more.

Rana Ahmed, a garlic and onion trader and garlic grower in Naldanga, said, "This year I grew garlic on 5 bighas and got about 100 maunds. I hoped to make a good profit, but because prices have fallen so abnormally, instead of profit I am losing at least Tk 1 lakh."

He said traders who come from Narayanganj and Dhaka to buy garlic told him the government is importing large amounts of Chinese garlic. Because the imported garlic is bigger and cheaper, buyers prefer it, and with no demand for local garlic, prices are falling.

Habibul Islam Khan, deputy director of the Natore agricultural extension department, said zero-tillage garlic needs no ploughing. After the monsoon water recedes, garlic cloves are pressed into the soft mud and covered with straw, and garlic grown this way yields more. But if farmers do not get a fair price, they will lose interest in growing garlic.

Abdul Mannaf, president of the Natore Chamber of Commerce and Industries, said farmers would not suffer if imports were made after reviewing market stocks of crops produced at home. The government should consider farmers' interests, he said.

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