Cucumber prices were high during Ramadan, but farmers are now in trouble over prices. Against this backdrop, the retail supershop chain Shwapno said in a press release that it is buying cucumbers from farmers at "fair prices".
The release said a news outlet had recently reported that cucumber farmers in Khansama upazila of Dinajpur were frustrated at not getting fair prices, with cucumbers selling for only Tk 2-4 a kg in the wholesale market. Shwapno then contacted those farmers and bought their cucumbers at a fair price.
According to the release, those cucumbers are now available at Shwapno outlets for less than on the open market. On Thursday cucumbers were seen selling at Tk 40 a kg on the open market, while customers could buy them at Shwapno outlets for Tk 12 a kg. The offer runs while stocks last.
Shwapno said it has already bought two tonnes of cucumbers from Khansama in Dinajpur and six tonnes from Haluaghat in Mymensingh.
'A direct bridge with farmers'
Shwapno's executive director Sabbir Hasan Nasir said: "We learned about the plight of cucumber farmers through the news. After learning of the hardship of farmers in several areas including Dinajpur and Mymensingh, we bought cucumbers from them at fair prices. We also call on other businesses to come forward for farmers. Shwapno has been trying to build a direct bridge with farmers without letting middlemen profit, and this effort will always continue."
Shwapno's head of purchase Sajjadul Haque said: "After seeing news of the cucumber farmers' crisis in various media, we decided to stand by these farmers. We have already bought 8 tonnes of cucumbers from several areas including Dinajpur and Mymensingh. Shwapno has stood by many struggling farmers in hard times before, and it will do so in future."
Sakib Hossain, a farmer in Khansama, Dinajpur, said: "This year I grew cucumbers on nearly one bigha of land. Seeds, fertiliser and other work cost me a lakh taka. But after I sold some cucumbers up to the 10th of Ramadan, the market price fell. I was forced to sell at Tk 10 a kg, then Tk 5 and finally even less. Many cucumbers also rotted. I was making big losses. After a journalist in my area ran a report, Shwapno contacted me and bought many of my cucumbers."
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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