Guava farmers grow weary of lockdown
Guava farmer Sunil Halder had travelled to Bhimruli village, a famous floating guava wholesale market in Barishal's Jhalakathi Sadar upazila, to sell about 74 kilogrammes (kgs) of the fruit last Friday.
However, more than half of his produce remained unsold till 11:00am that day as customer turnout was less than adequate due to the ongoing nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19.
The government has imposed a slew of restrictions on public movement since the beginning of July following a recent surge in the coronavirus infection rate.
The situation was similar when the pandemic began in March last year as the ensuing lockdown measures prevented farmers from getting fair prices, according to market players.
As a result, guava farmers seem to have suffered a double blow, they said.
The fruit was being sold for about Tk 5 per kg at the beginning of the season and although prices have since reached Tk 7-8 per kg, they can be sold for half this amount depending on the circumstance.
For example, the price may fall further if there are not enough people buying guavas, they added.
The local tourism industry has also been hit by the lockdown as people cannot visit the region amid the current crisis.
During the pre-pandemic era, Sudeb Halder would regularly carry tourists by boat to the floating guava market.
But even though peak season began about 20 days ago, he practically has no income due to the lack of travellers and even wholesalers.
"Guava cultivation is now a curse for us as these fruits cannot be preserved," said a frustrated guava trader.
"So, guavas are often being sold at cheaper prices since a rotten fruit cannot be sold at all," he added.
At least 20,000 farmers in the Barishal, Jhalakathi and Pirojpur districts rely on the seasonal fruit for an income.
During the peak harvesting season, at least 10,000 to 15,000 people visit the orchards and markets each day.
As a result, locals can earn money by operating boats, hotels and restaurants.
Among these three districts, the agricultural life of Jhalakathi sadar upazila, Nesharabad of Pirojpur district and Banaripara upazila of Barishal district are centred around guava cultivation.
Hundreds of wholesalers from all over the country used to come to the region every year to buy guavas but now, this once bustling agricultural area has turned into a ghost town.
Zakir Hossain, a wholesaler, said he used to send 300 maunds (one maund equals 37 kgs) of guavas each day to Shyambazar.
However, demand has since dropped to about one-third of its pre-pandemic levels.
Besides, since wholesalers are unable to visit local markets, the price per maund of guava has come down to Tk 200 while it was previously about Tk 500, he added.
Echoing him, Narayan Haldar, a teacher at Bhimruli school, said the area once thrived on tourism and guava sales.
But both businesses have been hit by Covid-19, leaving local farmers in a dire situation.
Haldar suggested that if an agro-product factory that makes jams or jellies out of guava could be set up in the region, then the industry could be saved.
During a visit to the area, it was found that at least 10 to 15 wholesale buying and selling centers were set up at guava farms across the three districts.
Although there were once thousands of buyers and sellers at these wholesale centres, this scenario has changed in the last two years.
In the past, boats nearly overflowing with green guavas used to fill the canal that runs though Bhimruli village.
Pushpa Haldar had aimed to sell guavas at the floating market but the lockdown has since taken away all hopes.
At the local level, the price of guava has gone down to Tk 7 or Tk 8 per kg, but in the city, guavas have been seen selling at Tk 40 to Tk 50 per kg.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), guava cultivation is widespread in Barishal, Jhalakathi and Pirojpur districts. Guava cultivation is spread across 3,345 hectares of land throughout the region, having an annual production of 31,747 tonnes.
At the national level, production has declined at an average of about 10,000 tonnes each year since fiscal 2017-18, when 241,504 tonnes of guava were harvested from 11,365 acres of land. In 2019-20, 226,028 tonnes of guava were produced on 67,344 acres of land.
About Tk 25 crore to Tk 30 crore worth of guavas were bought and sold each year in Barishal prior to the pandemic.
The industry, including tourism, is valued at around Tk 100 crore.
Taufiqul Alam, additional director of the DAE office in Barishal, said it was true that farmers were not getting fair prices for their produce.
"Work is underway to compile a list of such affected farmers which will be sent to the higher authorities," he added.
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