OUR CORRESPONDENT
CHANDPUR, Apr 10: Unlike past several years when tomatoes were a bit expensive selling Tk40 to 50a kg, the vegetable is now selling at unusually low prices in the markets of Chandpur district in the current season due to abundant supply.
Market insiders attributed the profuse supply of tomato to a bumper yield this season. But this is a bad news for the growers who are shedding tears selling their produce at throwaway prices. They have no smile on their faces.
In the local haats and bazars, and even in the upazila towns, prices of tomato are very much low.
One kg tomato is now selling at highest Tk8 to10.
A tomato vendor waits for customers in Chandpur town- FE Photo
During a recent visit, this correspondent found that in the rural haats and bazars, a kg tomato was selling at Tk2.0 to 5.0 per kg. Consequent upon the low prices, the farmers have no interest to pluck tomatoes from fields and take them to the local markets. Because they even could not recover the transport cost by selling tomatoes at the mentioned prices -said farmers Shah Alam Miji (60) of Raldiya village in Chandpur Sadar, Giasuddin Sarker (45) of Matlab Uttar and Monir and Sohel of Faridganj,
Many agriculture experts said bumper yield of tomato is a blessing due to the last flooding that left behind huge silts in crop fields making the land so fertile. But the consequent ample supply of tomato has turned into a bane for the farmers.
They are in great despair as the market price is so low in the haats and bazaars; everywhere in the district they all are upset.
With much regret, a good number of farmers told the FE that they are not getting even the production and transport costs by selling tomatoes at the present rates. So they do not collect tomatoes from the fields. As a result, in most cases, tomatoes are getting damaged in the fields.
On the other hand, due to the existing fodder crisis, neighbouring farmers are collecting the rejected and spoiled tomatoes free of cost to feed their cattle at homes.
Talking to the FE, old farmer Shah Alam Miji, who is a resident of Raldiya village in Ashikati union in Chandpur Sadar, said he cultivated tomato on 20 decimals of land this season and got more than 50 maund yield. But he was disheartened by the cheap price of tomato. He sells tomato at Tk10 to 12 per kg in Biponibagh Bazar in Chandpur town.
He does not get the minimum price of tomato in the village haats and bazars where one kg of tomato is sold at Tk5.0 which is disappointing and disgusting.
While talking to some other farmers, they also echoed the same sorrows in Baburhat, Ashikati, Mohamaya, Sengaon, Miarbazar, , Shahtoli and Moishadi areas - all under Chandpur Sadar.
In Hajiganj, Dulal Hossain (55), a farmer of Mokimabad area, said he sells tomato at Tk8.0 per kg in rickshaw van beside Kalibari Court Station in Chandpur town. He sells five kg tomato at Tk 40 at the rate of Tk10 per kg.
He said he gets no satisfactory price in the rural areas and village haats and bazars where tomato is sold at Tk2 to 4 per kg . So he has come to sell tomato in Chandpur town.
Faridganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Kishore Kollol said last year tomato sold at high rate. It was cultivated on 67 hectares of land in the upazila and the farmers got bumper yield and good profit as well. Farmers are not getting the due or minimum price of tomato. There is no processing system to keep tomatoes fresh for long also, he added.
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