Kamalganj tomatoes being damaged due to lack of cold storage

Md. Mosabbir Ali, back from Kamalganj :

Kamalganj Upazila of Moulvibazar district is known as a granary. As there is no cold storage for storing vegetables, there is no smile on the face of the farmers. Due to this, the farmers are losing motivation to produce crops due to financial losses. Because vegetables
As soon as they are picked, they are forced to sell them at ‘water prices’; otherwise they will rot and be ruined. Currently, the last period of marketing tomato cultivation is going on. The price in the market has also decreased. Farmers are not picking tomatoes from the fields as wages and transportation costs are not rising. As a result, tomatoes are being destroyed in the fields. However, after a month, tomatoes will be sold at 40 to 50 taka per kg. According to Kamalganj Upazila Agriculture Office sources, Alinagar, Adampur, Madhabpur, Sadar of the upazila
Summer tomato cultivation has been done on about 35 hectares of land in various villages including Tilakpur, Jamirkona, Homerjan, Patrakhola, Katabil, Najatkona, Dhalai Par, Narendrapur, Adampur and Islampur, Chhaychiri, including the union and municipal areas. However, grafting
Some people cultivate tomatoes for twelve months using this method. Saimun, a vegetable farmer from Rajargaon village of Kamalganj Sadar Union, said, “Local traders buy farmers’ crops from Kamalganj at low prices and transport them by truck to the country.”
They are selling it at higher prices in other areas. Local farmers are not benefiting from this. We have been demanding from the administration for a long time to set up a cold storage facility here locally to improve the fortunes of farmers. But no one is keeping their word. He
He said, “Currently, there are many crops left in the fields. However, the market price has decreased. Therefore, due to the non-payment of wages and transportation costs of tomato pickers, the hard-earned crops are rotting and being destroyed in the fields.” Bhanugachh Bazaar shopkeeper Md. Sharif Uddin said, “For the past one month, tomatoes have been sold at Tk 8-10 per kg in the shop. Since last week, we have been selling them at Tk 3-4. The price of tomatoes in the market has come down so much.
Due to which the farmers have lost the motivation to pick tomatoes. However, those who cultivated tomatoes in advance have benefited, while the rest have suffered.’
Sufian Ahmed, a tomato farmer from Madhabpur Union, said that earlier, wholesalers from different areas used to pick tomatoes
Even though they have come to the fields, no wholesalers are coming now. There is no demand for tomatoes like before. Tomatoes have to be picked, taken to the market by car rental and sold for 3-4 taka per kg. In this case, it is seen that the profit is higher than the sale.
The cost is high, so I don’t pick the tomatoes in the field anymore; everything is getting spoiled in the field.
Expressing frustration, farmer Mustafa Kamal said, “I have lost interest in picking tomatoes in the field because the cost is higher than the sale.”
Upazila Agriculture Officer Jayanta Kumar Roy said, “This is a perishable crop, besides, farmers are not getting the price because other vegetables are also in the market and the production is high this year. However, those who cultivated tomatoes in advance have received good prices. Besides, those who are now
If the weather is favorable for planting tomatoes, they will also get a good price.’
When asked about the establishment of cold storage in Kamalganj Upazila,
Upazila Executive Officer Makhon Chandra Sutradhar said, ‘The fruits of the farmers’ hard work in the upazila are
The Additional Divisional Commissioner of Sylhet has been informed for preservation. In addition, the Moulvibazar District Commissioner is also keeping an eye on it. Hopefully, it will be possible to set up a cold storage facility soon.
Farmers are becoming more interested in this crop due to its low cost and low incidence of diseases. The Department of Agriculture is working to increase the production of this crop in the future.