Bandarban orange growers deprived of fair price
Tuesday, 25 September 2007
BANDARBAN, Sept 24 (UNB): Orange cultivators of the district who achieved bumper production this season are not getting fair price in the local market.
According to Agriculture Department, bumper production of orange this season was due to favourable weather. The farmers were now busy collecting at least 50,000 pieces of orange every day.
But they alleged that the price of orange has come down alarmingly in the absence of marketing facilities and shortage of buyers.
They also said they are forced to sell a big sized orange at Tk 3 and a medium sized one at Tk 1 to their moneylenders as per their loan contract, thus incurring a huge loss.
Farmers have largely cultivated orange at Choruipara, Uzipara, Hapimukh, Tombrupara, Shailapropat, Zaminipara, Basantapara, Faruqpara in Sadar upazila, Ruma and Thanchi upazilas and achieved a good harvest in Ruma and Thanchi like previous years.
Orange cultivators of Ruma and Thanchi said despite bumper production they could not earn the expected profit due to high transport cost, as orange orchards of the two upazilas are 70 to 150 kms from the Sadar upazila.
In this situation, they said they are compelled to sell orange to the middlemen at throwaway prices to repay their loans taken with high interest from the moneylenders.
The middlemen carry the fruit to Bandarban town by trucks or engine boats from where those are supplied to different parts of the country.
Trader Yunus Sawdagar said that wholesale price of per piece orange is Tk 4 while retail price is Tk 5 in the town.
"I have invested in this sector with a target to sell 20 truck orange in wholesale market this year," he said adding, "Each truck is capable of carrying 80,000 oranges".
He said that the transport cost of per truck from Bandarban to
Chittagong was Tk 3,500.
Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension Mukul Chandra Roy said each tree was capable of producing at least 4,000 oranges in the district due to the suitable weather and soil condition.
According to a survey, there are over one lakh orange bearing trees in the district at present.
DAE has taken up a programme to train the orange growers with modern methods of cultivation.
Besides, a project on orange and mixed cultivation is being also implemented under Chittagong Development Board. Under the project, 200 families of the district will be rehabilitated.
Farmers of the district have demanded immediate establishment of a cold storage in the district to reduce the sufferings of the orange cultivators.
According to Agriculture Department, bumper production of orange this season was due to favourable weather. The farmers were now busy collecting at least 50,000 pieces of orange every day.
But they alleged that the price of orange has come down alarmingly in the absence of marketing facilities and shortage of buyers.
They also said they are forced to sell a big sized orange at Tk 3 and a medium sized one at Tk 1 to their moneylenders as per their loan contract, thus incurring a huge loss.
Farmers have largely cultivated orange at Choruipara, Uzipara, Hapimukh, Tombrupara, Shailapropat, Zaminipara, Basantapara, Faruqpara in Sadar upazila, Ruma and Thanchi upazilas and achieved a good harvest in Ruma and Thanchi like previous years.
Orange cultivators of Ruma and Thanchi said despite bumper production they could not earn the expected profit due to high transport cost, as orange orchards of the two upazilas are 70 to 150 kms from the Sadar upazila.
In this situation, they said they are compelled to sell orange to the middlemen at throwaway prices to repay their loans taken with high interest from the moneylenders.
The middlemen carry the fruit to Bandarban town by trucks or engine boats from where those are supplied to different parts of the country.
Trader Yunus Sawdagar said that wholesale price of per piece orange is Tk 4 while retail price is Tk 5 in the town.
"I have invested in this sector with a target to sell 20 truck orange in wholesale market this year," he said adding, "Each truck is capable of carrying 80,000 oranges".
He said that the transport cost of per truck from Bandarban to
Chittagong was Tk 3,500.
Deputy Director of Department of Agricultural Extension Mukul Chandra Roy said each tree was capable of producing at least 4,000 oranges in the district due to the suitable weather and soil condition.
According to a survey, there are over one lakh orange bearing trees in the district at present.
DAE has taken up a programme to train the orange growers with modern methods of cultivation.
Besides, a project on orange and mixed cultivation is being also implemented under Chittagong Development Board. Under the project, 200 families of the district will be rehabilitated.
Farmers of the district have demanded immediate establishment of a cold storage in the district to reduce the sufferings of the orange cultivators.