Sylhet Correspondent :
The countrywide indefinite blockade along with several hartals and rampant violence has been taking a toll on the agriculture sector of the country. The farmers, especially the ones who produce perishable goods, are the worst-hit of this political deadlock.
The tomato farmers of Sylhet are facing a great loss as they cannot but sell their produce at nearly half the production cost. Due to non-availability of transportation due to the blockade, the traders are not willing to buy tomatoes causing a huge slump in the price.
Like every year, the greater Tukerbazar area along the Surma River of Sylhet yielded a good harvest of tomatoes.
The high yield made the farmers hopeful of a good profit. However, the drop in the price wiped off the farmers’ smile. They are now not able to even cover the production cost.
Ahmed Ali Tukerbazar village in Sylhet Sadar expressed deep frustration.
‘We have not been able to recover the fertiliser, pesticide and labour cost. At the beginning of the season, we were able to sell tomatoes for Tk1000 to Tk1100 per maund. But the price has now dropped to Tk400 to Tk450,’ they said.
The farmers added that since tomatoes get rotten very easily and there was no proper storage facility, they were bound to sell the tomatoes at a lower price.
The tomatoes of Sylhet are mainly distributed to the Subhanighat vagetable market and other wholesale markets. But the traders are not being able to transport the tomatoes due to the blockade.
Truck owners do not want to operate their vehicles. Look at the arson and violence happening across the country. Why would they take risk? So what can we do but to buy tomatoes at a low price given the high transportation cost?’
Deputy director of Sylhet Department of Agricultural Expansion said tomatoes were cultivated on a total of 1400 hectares of land in Sylhet this year. He agreed that the farmers were not getting due price because of a disrupted transportation system.
The countrywide indefinite blockade along with several hartals and rampant violence has been taking a toll on the agriculture sector of the country. The farmers, especially the ones who produce perishable goods, are the worst-hit of this political deadlock.
The tomato farmers of Sylhet are facing a great loss as they cannot but sell their produce at nearly half the production cost. Due to non-availability of transportation due to the blockade, the traders are not willing to buy tomatoes causing a huge slump in the price.
Like every year, the greater Tukerbazar area along the Surma River of Sylhet yielded a good harvest of tomatoes.
The high yield made the farmers hopeful of a good profit. However, the drop in the price wiped off the farmers’ smile. They are now not able to even cover the production cost.
Ahmed Ali Tukerbazar village in Sylhet Sadar expressed deep frustration.
‘We have not been able to recover the fertiliser, pesticide and labour cost. At the beginning of the season, we were able to sell tomatoes for Tk1000 to Tk1100 per maund. But the price has now dropped to Tk400 to Tk450,’ they said.
The farmers added that since tomatoes get rotten very easily and there was no proper storage facility, they were bound to sell the tomatoes at a lower price.
The tomatoes of Sylhet are mainly distributed to the Subhanighat vagetable market and other wholesale markets. But the traders are not being able to transport the tomatoes due to the blockade.
Truck owners do not want to operate their vehicles. Look at the arson and violence happening across the country. Why would they take risk? So what can we do but to buy tomatoes at a low price given the high transportation cost?’
Deputy director of Sylhet Department of Agricultural Expansion said tomatoes were cultivated on a total of 1400 hectares of land in Sylhet this year. He agreed that the farmers were not getting due price because of a disrupted transportation system.
