SM Mizanur Rahman :
Farmers are passing in the worst days as their produced vegetables, potato and other food grains are either remaining unsold or not getting fair prices across the country due to indefinite blockade since January 5 called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led 20-party alliance.
“Blockade and hartal snatched away everything from us as most of our produced vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, bean, brinjal and potato are remaining unsold due to the absence of buyers. Many of these are being rotten in the field,” said Mokbul
Hossain, a farmer of village Sherpur under Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur district.
He said 90 kgs of potatoes are being sold at the local market everyday at Taka 320 while three pieces of cauliflowers at Taka 10. “As we face now with severe financial hardships struggling to survive, we can’t now think of boro paddy right now,” he added. Out of total production of vegetables 40 lakh tonnes in a year, some 60 percent to 70 percent vegetables are produced in the winter season. The farmers use to harvest 40 percent from the fields between January and February. But the non-stop blockade is fading the farmers’ expectations away into the dark.
Vegetables and other food grains like potato are supplied from different places of the country especially north-west and east regions remained halt due to the on going blockade and hartal. Besides, a section of unscrupulous traders have raised prices of agro-inputs like seeds and fertilisers, taking advantage of the blockade. Out of total production of vegetables, 40 percent have remained in the fields across the country, economist Dr Mahbub Hossain, Executive Director, BARC and former DG, BIDS, told The New Nation yesterday.
“The farmers harvested 20 to 30 percent vegetables and potatoes from the fields. But due to the fear of petrol bomb attack, some 20 lakh tonnes of potatoes and vegetables remained unsold and many of those had already been rotten,” he said.
The economist added after harvesting aman paddy, the farmers had cultivated vegetables and potato and they had a plan for boro paddy cultivation. “As the farmers failed to sell vegetables and potato on time, they are not capable to prepare their fields for boro cultivation due to want of cash money,” he said.
Expressing bitter agony Sarowar Hossain, a farmer from village Satmile in Jessore sadar said, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, been, brinjal and potato are being rotten in the field everyday as the buyers are not showing interest to purchase.
“I had to give my two bigha vegetable lands for cattle grazing. We know nothing about our future. None from the government came to us to know about our latest condition. The farmers always become the victims,” he alleged.
“We the farmers, depend on the sale of our produced vegetables, potato and aman rice, and are now facing with severe financial hardships, and struggling to survive as blockade and hartal are destroying everything,” Mostafizur Rahman, a potato and vegetables cultivator from village Beldari in Bogra sadar told The New Nation on Thursday.
“As they failed to sell their vegetables, potato and aman paddy, they wouldn’t be able to invest in boro cultivation. As a result this situation will also hit the boro cultivation,” he mentioned.
Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, former Chairman, Bangladesh Krishi Bank, said the ongoing hartal and blockade continued to affect the seasonal farmers involved in cultivating vegetables, potato and other food grains.
‘It is very simple like other the farmers are being affected badly,” he said.
Farmers are passing in the worst days as their produced vegetables, potato and other food grains are either remaining unsold or not getting fair prices across the country due to indefinite blockade since January 5 called by Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)-led 20-party alliance.
“Blockade and hartal snatched away everything from us as most of our produced vegetables such as cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, bean, brinjal and potato are remaining unsold due to the absence of buyers. Many of these are being rotten in the field,” said Mokbul
Hossain, a farmer of village Sherpur under Mithapukur upazila in Rangpur district.
He said 90 kgs of potatoes are being sold at the local market everyday at Taka 320 while three pieces of cauliflowers at Taka 10. “As we face now with severe financial hardships struggling to survive, we can’t now think of boro paddy right now,” he added. Out of total production of vegetables 40 lakh tonnes in a year, some 60 percent to 70 percent vegetables are produced in the winter season. The farmers use to harvest 40 percent from the fields between January and February. But the non-stop blockade is fading the farmers’ expectations away into the dark.
Vegetables and other food grains like potato are supplied from different places of the country especially north-west and east regions remained halt due to the on going blockade and hartal. Besides, a section of unscrupulous traders have raised prices of agro-inputs like seeds and fertilisers, taking advantage of the blockade. Out of total production of vegetables, 40 percent have remained in the fields across the country, economist Dr Mahbub Hossain, Executive Director, BARC and former DG, BIDS, told The New Nation yesterday.
“The farmers harvested 20 to 30 percent vegetables and potatoes from the fields. But due to the fear of petrol bomb attack, some 20 lakh tonnes of potatoes and vegetables remained unsold and many of those had already been rotten,” he said.
The economist added after harvesting aman paddy, the farmers had cultivated vegetables and potato and they had a plan for boro paddy cultivation. “As the farmers failed to sell vegetables and potato on time, they are not capable to prepare their fields for boro cultivation due to want of cash money,” he said.
Expressing bitter agony Sarowar Hossain, a farmer from village Satmile in Jessore sadar said, cauliflower, cabbage, tomato, been, brinjal and potato are being rotten in the field everyday as the buyers are not showing interest to purchase.
“I had to give my two bigha vegetable lands for cattle grazing. We know nothing about our future. None from the government came to us to know about our latest condition. The farmers always become the victims,” he alleged.
“We the farmers, depend on the sale of our produced vegetables, potato and aman rice, and are now facing with severe financial hardships, and struggling to survive as blockade and hartal are destroying everything,” Mostafizur Rahman, a potato and vegetables cultivator from village Beldari in Bogra sadar told The New Nation on Thursday.
“As they failed to sell their vegetables, potato and aman paddy, they wouldn’t be able to invest in boro cultivation. As a result this situation will also hit the boro cultivation,” he mentioned.
Khondkar Ibrahim Khaled, former Chairman, Bangladesh Krishi Bank, said the ongoing hartal and blockade continued to affect the seasonal farmers involved in cultivating vegetables, potato and other food grains.
‘It is very simple like other the farmers are being affected badly,” he said.
