NO BUYERS, NO PROFIT: Chuadanga farmers forced to destroy excess cauliflower
Chuadanga Correspondent :
A bumper production of cauliflower has been achieved in four upazilas of Chuadanga district, after meeting the requirements a huge cauliflowers have been surplus as as farmers has been incurring losses due to low price this season.
According to source of Chuadanga District Agriculture Extension Department, about 1,05,639 metric tons of cauliflower production have been fixed by cultivating 4,593 hectares of land this year. The demand of the district is 62,339 metric tons cauliflower. In the meantime 84,511.2 metric tons of cauliflower has been produced by harvesting of 3,674.4 hectares of land. Compared to the demand, about 22,172.2 metric tons of cauliflowers have had surplus up to date.
Abdullah of village Nehalpur in sadar upazila said, many farmers have cultivated cauliflower early season. As a result, they were able to sell the cauliflower between tk. 70 and 80 per kg from beginning of harvesting in the early winter. As a result, they made a profit by selling cauliflower.
It is stated, farmers harvested about 80 per cent cauliflowers and 20 per cent are in the fields. Cultivation of upazila wise breaks up are-2270 hectares in Chuadanga sadar, 55 hectares in Alamdanga upazila, 1998 hectares in Damurhuda upazila and 270 hectares in Jibannagar upazila. In the meantime production of cauliflowers has been estimated 23 metric tons per hectares.
It is learnt, most of the farmers harvested middle of the winter season as they are not getting fair price to sell cauliflowers. At present it is sold at tk. 4 per kg in different markets of the district.
According to sources, cauliflower has been damaged due to unsold. Farmers have been using cauliflowers as birds and animals feed. Many farmers damaged it for organic fertilizer in the crop field through tractor. Sahabuddin, a farmer of Boalia village in Sadar upazila said, I cultivated one bigha of cauliflower. Production expenditure has been made at 25,000 taka while it was sold at tk. 3,000.
Sona Mia of village Chhotosalua in sadar upazila said, I cultivated cauliflower on 10 bighas of land this year. Over Tk. 30,000 was spent per bigha resulting in a total expenditure of Tk.3,00,000. I sold cauliflowers at Tk. 1,00,000 and made a loss of tk. 2,00,000. The tractors have destroyed it due to unsold.
Saiful Islam, Chhotsalua said, I cultivated cauliflower on 4 bighs land. We have managed to sell Tk. 16,000 worth of cauliflower. Cauliflowers are not being sold because there are no wholesale buyers. I am currently at a loss.
Khalid Hasan, a vegetable farmer of village Naptkhali village in Damurhuda upazila said, he cultivates cauliflowers on 1.5 bighas of land.
Over tk. 50,000 was spent on seedlings, pesticide, fertilizers, irrigation and labour. Cauliflowers worth about tk. 15,000 was sold a few days back. Now nobody comes to buy cauliflower at the areas.
Alamgir Hossain of village Badanpur in Damurhuda upazila took an advance of tk. 28,000 from a wholesale vegetable businessman after fixing the price of 1,00,000. As the price of cauliflower has decreased in the markets, how he is pressuring to repay the advance.
According to various sources, wholesalers used to come from different areas to buy cauliflowers from the land, but now they are not coming to purchase it.
Maudur Rahman Sarker, Deputy Director of District Agriculture Extension Department said, this year the farmers of the district have cultivated cauliflowers early of the season and then sold it to make a profit.
As a result farmers cultivated cauliflowers secondly hoping for more profit and production is more than the demand. Because of this the farmers have to face losses due to presence of few buyers.