Floods, rains dash early winter vegetable growers’ hopes
Prices of vegetables remain high in the local markets of the district as local growers cannot cultivate early varieties of winter vegetables timely this year due to bad weather.
Because of continuous heavy rains and floods during the peak season, cultivation of early winter vegetables has been delayed in Pirojpur, said farmers, adding that they were also badly affected by the bad weather.
The growers in the district cultivate early winter vegetables with the hope of getting good prices but heavy rains have dashed their hopes this year as they cannot cultivate the vegetables during the peak season due to bad weather.
Farmer Mohammad Shamim of Baniary village in Nazirpur upazila said growers in the area cultivate early vegetables inside the bed of fish enclosures during the peak season as other fields remain under water then.
They grow early varieties of vegetables including cauliflower, bean, brinjal, tomato and different varieties of leafy vegetables there, he said, adding that but this year, they cannot grow them in time after trying several times due to bad weather.
"At the beginning of August, we plant vegetable saplings and get production at the end of September," said another farmer of the village Projesh Mondal, adding that but this time they do not get any yield.
"I planted vegetable saplings and seeds for over three times. But rainwater and floods have damaged it," said grower Fazar Ali Khan of the area.
Meanwhile, the price hike of the winter vegetables has worried consumers in the district as locally grown vegetable is not available in the markets.
Local vegetable traders said the vegetables they sell in the market come from different areas of Khulna division.
Prices of winter vegetables are high due to the crisis of vegetable supply in the market, said trader Ujjal Chandra from Pirojpur town, adding that the lowest price of each kilogram of vegetable is Tk 40.
The price of each kilogram of brinjal is Tk 65, bean Tk 100 and each piece of bottle gourd is over Tk 50 while each bundle leafy vegetable is sold for Tk 25.
About the matter, Bijan Krishna Hawlader, sub-assistant agriculture officer of Nazirpur upazila agriculture office, said this year farmers cannot produce vegetables in time due to bad weather.
Winter vegetables will be available in the markets at the end of the current month, he said.
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