Our Correspondent :
Bumper yield of string bean in Moulvibazar district this year has made its growers unhappy as huge supply caused the price of the vegetables make a nosedive. Besides, huge supply of turmeric due to its bumper yield in different areas of the district has also caused a drastic price fall of the spice in local market, much to the frustration of farmers. This season, farmers are selling one kg of yard long bean for only Tk 10 to 15 while it was sold for Tk 20 to 25 last year. The growers, who had earlier eyed a good profit, are now anxious to get back their production cost.
Encouraged by bumper production and unexpected profit last year, Kulaura farmers cultivated turmeric on 45 hectares of land, said Upazila officials of Agriculture Department. They cultivated string bean on the abandoned land surrounding their homesteads and paddy field this year in the hope of making a good profit, but sharp fall in price has dashed their expectations.
Farmer Sumon Alom, 34, of Sripur village in Kulaura upazila said, “As I earned a good profit last year, I cultivated string bean on more land this year. I got bumper production, but the current market price of the bean has frustrated me.”
Alamin Miah, 45, of Boromchal village in the same upazila said, “We have to incur a huge loss due to abnormal fall in string bean price in the market. We are not getting even production cost by selling turmeric in the local markets.”
While visiting different markets in the district on Thursday and Friday, this correspondent saw farmers with their yard long bean waiting long hours as sale has nosedived due to thin presence of buyers.
They have to sell string bean at low rate as they need money for other farming. Kulaura Upazila Agriculture Officer Abdul Mumin said, if farmers do not get fair price of bean, they will lose interest to cultivate it.
