Radish price fall upsets growers in Lalmonirhat

The price of radish has fallen sharply in the district due to abundant supply of other vegetables in the local markets, upsetting radish growers.

Growers are not getting their investment from selling radish as it is being sold at Tk 2 per kg below the production cost. Due to decrease in demand for radish in the local markets, middlemen are buying the vegetable from the growers and sending those to the capital and other parts of the country.                          

Farmers said they were happy as they sold 1 kg of radish for Tk 10 to Tk 12 only a week ago, but it is being sold at Tk 2 per kg now.

Aftab Uddin, 56, of Hajiganj village in Aditmari upazila, said he cultivated radish on eight bighas of land this season and he is very upset over the low price in the market. “We spent Tk 6,000 to Tk 7,000 for farming radish on one bigha and got 50 maunds to 60 maunds of the vegetable,” he said, adding that he sold only 20 maunds at Tk 11 per kg a week ago.

“I cultivated radish on ten bighas spending Tk 68,000, whereas I have sold the produce of four bighas only,” Mobarak Hossain, 42, of Bamonerbasa village said, adding that he will suffer loss this year.

Vegetable trader Hasmat Ali, 48, of Durakuti vegetable market in Sadar upazila, said they are selling radish for Tk 4 to Tk 5 per kg, but they purchase it for Tk 2 per kg from the growers in the field. “Due to supply of other vegetables, people are not interested in buying radish,” he said.

Middleman Azaharul Islam, 52, of Hajiganj makeshift vegetable market in Aditmari upazila, said they send radish to Dhaka and other areas of the country, where they sell it for Tk 10 to Tk 12 per kg to the vegetable traders. “We get profit of up to Tk 2 per kg after meeting the expenditure,” he said.

Department of Agriculture Extension sources said radish was cultivated on 2,000 hectares of lands in five upazilas, mainly Aditmari, of the district this year.