Tomato farmers in Chandpur struggle as prices plummet
National Desk :
In the heart of Bangladesh’s agricultural landscape, a silent crisis unfolds as tomato farmers in Chandpur face an unprecedented price collapse.
Once brimming with hope for a profitable season, these farmers now find their hard-earned produce nearly worthless, with prices so low that a kilogram of tomatoes cannot even buy a cup of tea.
In several villages, ripe, red tomatoes are left to rot in the fields, abandoned by cultivators who see no economic sense in transporting them to market, reports UNB.
The cost of getting their produce to buyers now exceeds the revenue they can generate, leaving farmers in a state of despair.
“Transport costs exceed the selling price, so what’s the point?” lamented Gias Uddin Sarkar, a farmer from Nij Chengarchar in Matlab Uttar. Hoping to replicate last year’s success, he planted tomatoes on 40 decimals of land, but now even covering transportation expenses seems impossible.
Currently, tomatoes are selling at a paltry Tk 3-5 per kilogram, forcing many farmers to give up entirely.
“I don’t even go to the field anymore. Instead, I’m giving some away to relatives,” Gias said.
Fields that once promised prosperity now lie abandoned, with neighbouring farmers taking the discarded tomatoes for cattle feed.
Veteran farmer Shah Alam Miji of Raldia village, who has dedicated five decades to farming, shares the same frustration.
Cultivating 20 decimals of land, he harvested around 50 maunds of tomatoes, but with local prices as low as Tk 3-4 per kilogram, he is now forced to transport his produce to Chandpur city markets such as Biponibagh, selling deep into the night in a bid to make ends meet.
Similar experiences were shared by Dulal Hossain of Mokimabad, Hajiganj, who now sells tomatoes near Chandpur Railway Station, escaping the even lower prices in rural markets.
A survey of various local markets, including Baburhat, Mohamaya, Moishadi, Sahatoli, Bakila (Hajiganj), Choto Sundar, Wireless Bazar, Pal Bazar, Biponibagh, Puran Bazar, and Bou Bazar, paints a dismal picture.