Carrot farmers count losses as prices plummet

Farmers across five districts in Rangpur division are facing significant losses due to a sharp drop in carrot prices this year.

Many farmers said their production cost was Tk 9-10 per kilogramme, but the vegetable is now selling wholesale at only Tk 5-6 per kg, leaving them frustrated.

"Last year, we sold carrots at Tk 14-15 per kg from the field and made a good profit, but this year prices have plummeted. We now have to sell carrots at half the cost of production," said Sirajul Islam, a 55-year-old farmer from Panchgachhi village in Kurigram Sadar upazila.

He said he has already incurred losses of around Tk 70,000 after cultivating carrots on seven bighas of land.

Nur Alam, a farmer from Char Kalmati in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila, said he cultivated carrots on one hectare of shoal land on the Teesta riverbed, investing Tk 2,55,000.

"At the end of February, I sold 1,000 kg of carrots at Tk 25 per kg. In early March, the price dropped slightly, but I still earned some profit, selling 2,000 kg at Tk 15-16 per kg. However, after the first week of March, the price crashed to Tk 5-6 per kg. I had to sell 20 tonnes at this rate, incurring heavy losses. I still have 6-7 tonnes in the field, and if prices remain this low, I will suffer a severe loss this year," he said.

Delwar Hossain, a vegetable vendor in Rangpur city, said they are buying carrots from wholesalers at Tk 8-9 per kg and selling them at Tk 15-16 per kg in the retail market.

"This year, supply is high, but demand is low," he added.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rangpur, carrots have been cultivated on 2,420 hectares, mostly in shoal areas across Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Gaibandha, Rangpur, and Nilphamari districts.

"Carrot is usually a profitable crop for farmers. Those who harvested early benefited from high prices, but later, an oversupply caused prices to drop sharply," said Shafiqul Islam, additional director of the DAE in Rangpur region.