PABNA, Oct 07: Early-variety beans have sustained extensive damage due to continuous rainfalls in Ishwardi and Atgharia upazilas of Pabna districts this season.
Ishwardi and Atgharia upazilas of Pabna have a good name for producing beans and other vegetables of valuable varieties.
Four fifth of the total bean production in the district is attributed to these two upazilas. But due to several consecutive spells of heavy rainfall, beans on about 910 hectares of land have been completely destroyed in these upazils, agriculture officials said.
Last season five to seven maunds of beans could be collected per bigha of land but now even one kg of beans is not available from the same quantity of land.
Casting a look over Muladuli, Atghariapara, Baghachla, Sheikhpara, Muladuli Madhyapara and Goalbathan areas of Muladuli union of Ishwardi upazila, it can be seen that several hundred hectares of land have been planted with early-variety beans.
Everywhere eyes can see only bean plantations. Farmers spent a lot of money to take care of bean plants, applied fertilisers and seeds. But due to non-stop rains, all the dreams of the farmers have been shattered.
Farmers said that beans were first commercially cultivated in Muladuli union of the upazila around about 25 years ago.
Although beans are a winter vegetable, they started cultivating early-variety beans around 14 years ago with the hope of a higher profit.
Before the winter season, these beans come to the market and fetch a higher profit. As a result, everyone gets interested in early-variety bean cultivation.
Gradually the cultivation of advanced variety beans started to increase. Farmers benefited from this and changed their fortunes. There are several disadvantages also in early-variety bean cultivation. It requires more fertilizers, pesticides and irrigation. The cost is also high. Besides, there is a fear of natural disaster causing harm.
The farmers also said that this year, in August and September, there occurred heavy rains three times in a row under the influence of low pressure. As a result, most of the early-variety bean fields were submerged. Many of the fields have been destroyed as the roots of the plants rotted and their leaves turned yellow. The bean flowers decayed.Decomposition could not be prevented even by using pesticides and fertilisers. Early this year, beans started to grow. Five to six maunds of beans could be harvested per bigha per week. Now even one kg of beans is not available per bigha of land. A kg of beans now costs Tk 300 but that is also not available in the market due to the disaster. Due to the massive damage to the bean fields, the farmers have to count heavy losses.
Abul Hashem, a bean farmer of Muladuli village, told The Financial Express, "The bean farmers are now crying. My one and a half bigha field of beans is now about to be completely destroyed. Trees are dying due to insect attacks. From that land I sold 30-35 kg of beans per day even 20 days ago. There are no beans in the fields now. So far Tk 45,000 has been spent to cultivate beans on one and a half bigha land. Due to water-logging, almost all bean plants have lost their flowers and their roots have also rotted.
Hundreds of farmers like me have become paupers."
Abdul Haque, another farmer in the same area, said, "As a result of four consecutive spells of rain, the early-variety bean fields have been submerged. The trees are dying due to insect attack in the roots. The leaves are turning yellow. The flowers and the tips of the beans that came out have been damaged. Those who cultivated early beans; they are all ruined. May entire two bigha land was destroyed in water."
He said hopelessly, "If we had a drainage system, we could have been saved."
Abul Hossain, another farmer, said, "Due to waterlogging in the rain, there has been extensive damage to bean plants. 20 days ago,we picked beans, but now there are no beans in the field. The bean plants are dying, the flowers are falling. Bean farmers are all affected."
Upazila Agriculture Officer Mita Sarkar told The Financial Express, "Muladuli union is famous for bean cultivation. Some 910 hectares of land were planted with early-variety beans in Ishwardi this time. Several rounds of heavy rains have caused flooding and the bean plants have lost their vitality."
Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Pabna, Dr Jamal Uddin told The Financial Express that this year in nine upazilas of Pabna, 1,176 hectares of land were planted with early-variety beans. Crop was also good. But bean fields were damaged due to repeated rainfalls.
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