Although vegetables have yielded well in Shariatpur, farmers are not getting fair prices. With market prices down, they cannot even cover transport costs, so bottle gourd, tomatoes, cabbages and other vegetables are rotting in the fields, leaving them facing severe financial losses. Farmers say vegetable growing will soon stop unless the government helps.

Alamgir Hossain, a farmer from Char Laukhola in Zajira, grew cabbages on 20 decimals this season at a total cost of Tk 30,000. His crop had been damaged by rain the previous season, and with a good yield this time he had high hopes of a profit. Those hopes have been dashed: with vegetable prices falling, there is no profit, and he says he is struggling even to cover transport costs.

Alamgir Hossain said: "I spent 25 to 30 thousand taka on cabbages and sold them for only seven to eight thousand. I'm completely ruined. If it goes on like this, it won't be possible to grow fresh vegetables in future. Last season too the crop was destroyed by rain. Farmers haven't received any grant from the government for 10 years. We want the government to stand by the farmers who have suffered losses."

According to the district agriculture department, the target for winter vegetables this season was 5,320 hectares and 5,390 hectares were planted, an increase of 70 hectares. Vegetable production reached 1 lakh 35 thousand 25 tonnes.

Another local farmer, Rakib Mia, grew bottle gourd in the Mirasar area of Zajira. By his reckoning, each gourd cost him Tk 25 to produce, yet he has to sell it wholesale for Tk 15, leaving him with heavy losses.

Rakib Mia said: "Each gourd cost Tk 25 to grow. When I take it to market, I have to sell it wholesale for Tk 15. If farmers keep making losses like this every year, they will become financially weak and won't grow any vegetables in future. We want the government to pay a little attention to farmers."

Another farmer, Amir Hossain Molla, said: "If the government gave us seed and fertiliser at the start of cultivation, we wouldn't lose even if vegetable prices were low. We want seed and fertiliser to be given to all farmers by the government from next season."

Mostafa Kamal Hossain, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said winter vegetables were grown on more land than the target this year and yielded well. But because rain at the start of the season meant seedlings were planted several times on the same land, production costs rose.

He added: "We give farmers incentives and advice. If they plant at the start of the season, they will get good prices."

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