Blockade, hartals affect Narsingdi farmers

Hundreds of vegetable growers of Narsingdi district are facing difficulties as they are not getting fair price of their produce in the local markets.

Due to continued blockade and hartal, they are unable to send their produces to Dhaka and other places of the country where vegetables are on higher demand.

Narsingdi is a leading vegetable producing areas. Farmers of Shibpur, Belabo and Raipura upazilas of the district usually cultivated vegetables on commercial basis and generally supplies 50 to 60 percent of the production to the capital and other districts.

Official sources said farmers of Narsingdi district have cultivated winter vegetables about 8,500 hectares in the district this season and reaping a good production of vegetables

But in the full time of winter vegetable season, farmers are deprived getting fair price of their produce as there is no wholesale customer in the local markets the growers stopped the harvesting of vegetables from their field as a result huge vegetables are destroying in the fields.

The farmers are now worried as how they will meet the expenses of members of their families.

Abdul Jalil a farmer of Masumpur village under Shibpur upazila said that he cultivated cauliflower, cabbage, bean and radish on 10 bigas of land and producing huge vegetables. But due to hartal and blockade he has compelled to sell his produces at lower prices in the local markets.

Like Abdul Jalil many farmers of Belabo, Shibpur and Raipura upazilas narrated their agony that because of hartal and blockade they cannot send their produces to the capital and other places where vegetables on higher demand. They are now worried how they will pass their days.

Preservation of the vegetable has become a difficult task as there is no cold storage in the district.

The situation has compelled the growers to sell the produces at through away price then the production cost.

They farmers said, they are selling cauliflower at Tk 500 to 600 per hundred pieces as against Tk 2,000 to 2,500 in the last season while radish at Tk 2 to 3 per hali and bean and brinjal at Tk 600 to 700 per maund in the local markets

The farmers urged the political leaders to stop hartal, and blockade for the greater interest of people as well as farmers for improving the communication facilities across the country. –BSS, Narsingdi