Pointed gourd price crashes to Tk 5 a kg in Jashore

BENAPOLE, June 14: Farmers in Jashore are being forced to sell pointed gourd at just Tk5 per kilogram in wholesale markets, triggering widespread frustration and financial losses across the region.

Only two weeks ago, the vegetable was selling for Tk 40-45 per kg. The dramatic price collapse has prompted some farmers to stop harvesting altogether, leaving large quantities of pointed gourd to rot in the fields. Others have resorted to feeding the vegetable to cattle.

According to sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension, Jashore, a target had been set to cultivate vegetables on 20,000 hectares of land in the district this season.

Like previous years, the highest volume of cultivation took place in Churamankati, Haibatpur, and Kashimpur unions of Sadar upazila.

Notably, winter vegetables have been cultivated on 1,630 hectares of land in Haibatpur union, 828 hectares in Churamankati union, and 553 hectares in Kashimpur union.

Despite the steep decline in farm-gate prices, pointed gourd is still being sold in retail markets at around Tk 10-25 per kg, raising questions about the large gap between wholesale and retail prices.

During a visit to farming areas in Dihi union of Sharsha upazila, farmer Sirajul Islam said he cultivated the crop on 13 kathas of land and achieved a good yield. However, he is now selling his produce at only Tk 5-6 per kg at the Lebutala wholesale market.

"After paying for harvesting, labour and transportation, I am incurring even greater losses. That's why I have stopped harvesting the crop," he said.

Although he could not identify the exact reason behind the sharp fall in prices, he suspects the involvement of middlemen. "There are only four farmers cultivating pointed gourd in our area, and

production is not unusually high. Yet prices started falling sharply before noon yesterday at the Lebutala market," he added.

Another farmer, Billal Hossain, said

he invested around Tk 60,000-65,000 in cultivating pointed gourd on 15 kathas of land over the past seven to eight months. However, he has managed to sell produce worth only Tk 34,000-40,000 so far.

At Satmail market in Monirampur, one of the region's largest vegetable trading hubs, the vegetable is also being sold at Tk 5-7 per kg. Farmers there say they are feeding harvested pointed gourd to cattle because selling it in the market no longer covers production costs.

According to the farmers, wholesale prices peaked at Tk 40-45 per kg between May 20 and May 25, before Eid-ul-Azha. Since then, prices have plummeted to just Tk 5 per kg.

Sharsha Upazila Agriculture Officer Dipak Kumar Saha said that due to a surplus in production

relative to market demand, prices have dropped this season. A vast quantity of vegetables has been produced in Jashore region this time. However, it is expected that prices will look up in the coming days.

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