Blockade, hartals bring woe to carrot growers

Bumper yield of carrots in the district this season cannot make farmers happy as the prices see drastic fall due to lack of buyers amid the non-stop countrywide blockade and frequent hartals enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance since January 6.

"I had hoped to earn at least Tk 2 lakh from carrot cultivation this season but Tk 60 thousand spent for it has gone in vain as the prices have fallen below the production cost in absence of buyers amid the non-stop blockade and hartals," said farmer Nazibar Ali at Hajiganj village of Aditmari upazila.

"I earned Tk 1.80 lakh from selling carrots grown on 40 decimals of land last year but this season I have lost capital of Tk 55 thousand in carrot farming on 70 decimals of land. I am now worried about repayment of the loan taken from a local NGO," said Mazibar Rahman, 60, at Fulgachh village in Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila.

"I am now selling a kg of carrot at Tk 5 while per kg production cost stood at Tk 7," said Nazrul Islam, 48, of the same village.

This year carrot was cultivated on 2,100 hectares of land in the district and the production target was 72,000 tonnes but the yield is much more, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension in Lalmonirhat.

"Vegetable traders from different areas including capital Dhaka come for buying carrots and other vegetables every year but this season the picture is different due to the countrywide blockade. Now huge supply of carrots and small number of customers in the market has led to drastic price fall of the item," said Sattar Miah, a wholesaler at Goshabazar vegetable market in the town.