Bumper vegetable yield, less price in Dinajpur
Growers of winter vegetables are being deprived of their due profit as prices have gone down alarmingly in the markets of the district in the last couple of weeks due to bumper production and good supply.
District Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Agriculture Officer Towhidul Islam said around 13,790 hectares of land have been targeted for vegetable farming in the district this winter season and sowing of seeds on 8,000 hectares has so far been completed. Potato, cauliflower, cabbage, eggplant and bean are produced widely in the district during winter season.
During a visit to wholesale markets in Bahadurbazar recently, this correspondent found that cauliflower was being sold at Tk 200 per maund (1 maund=40kg), cabbage for Tk 150 per maund, eggplant for Tk 200 per maund and bean for Tk 240 per maund.
Azizul Islam a farmer of Chehelgazi village under Sadar upazila, said he cultivated cauliflower and cabbage on one acre of land this season spending Tk 30,000. He made some profit at the very onset of the season, but prices have gone down alarmingly in the last couple of weeks, he added. “I am selling my produce at throwaway prices to avoid further price fall,” he said.
Abdur Rahman of Rajarampur village under Phulbari upazila, said he sold radish at Tk 80 per maund recently, while its price was Tk 350 a couple of weeks ago. Prices of vegetables are a little higher at retail markets, he added.
Md Faruk Hossain of the same village said he sold eggplant from 2.50 acres of land at Tk 200 per maund. “I will incur losses of Tk 12,000 per acre,” he said, adding that it would be better for him if the price was around Tk 600 per maund.
Shah Jamal, a retail vegetable trader of Phulbari upazila, said prices of vegetables started going down due to the plenty of supply to the wholesale and retail markets.
Phulbari DAE Upazila Agriculture Officer ATM Hamim Ashraf said the price fall of winter vegetables happened due to bumper production in the district, which also increased the supply to markets.
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