Low quality seeds mar tomato output
Friday, 26 November 2010
Our Correspondent
RAJSHAHI, Nov 25: Agitated tomato farmers of various villages of Godagari Upazila of the district staged a demonstration and held a rally at Mohishalbari cattle hat premises Tuesday morning demanding compensation from Syngenta Company Limited for supplying them low quality tomato seeds.
The tomato farmers, under the banner of Godagari Krishi Unnayan Oikkya Parishad also submitted memorandum to the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister through Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Godagari demanding punishment of the officials of Syngenta and compensation for nearly 5,000 farmers who planted tomato saplings generated from the seeds supplied by the company and incurred a huge loss because their saplings a were damaged by unknown diseases.
Member of Parliament of Tanore-Godagari constituency Omar Faruque Chowdhury was also present at the rally and expressed his sympathy with thousands of farmers and assured them of measures against the company and help the farmers to realise compensation from the company.
Addressing the rally, Omar Faruque Chowdhury said, farmers of Godagari used to grow 70 per cent of tomato of the country during winter season and thousands of people of the Upazila have taken tomato farming as their means of livelihood. But, this year, the Syngenta company have dashed their hope. Terming the seed problem a conspiracy, Omar Faruque Chowdhury warned that the Syngenta Company will be expelled from Godagari and all farmers will boycott their products if no compensation for the farmers is ensured by the company.
Presided over by Mokhlesur Rahman, convener of Krishi Unnayan Oikkya Parishad, the rally was addressed, among others by Faruk Hossain, Ashraful Islam, Jahangir, Tutul, Jahurul, Jamal, Aminul, Montu, Ziaur and Aftab Uddin.
Faruque, a young entrepreneurs of Mohishalbari village said, even being considerably educated, he could not manage a job and started tomato farming with a bank loan but due to using low quality seeds, of he incurred loss of Tk. 2 million.
Nazrul Islam of Basudevpur village said, he incurred a loss of Tk 0.4 million by cultivating tomato in 11 bighas of land.
RAJSHAHI, Nov 25: Agitated tomato farmers of various villages of Godagari Upazila of the district staged a demonstration and held a rally at Mohishalbari cattle hat premises Tuesday morning demanding compensation from Syngenta Company Limited for supplying them low quality tomato seeds.
The tomato farmers, under the banner of Godagari Krishi Unnayan Oikkya Parishad also submitted memorandum to the Prime Minister and the Agriculture Minister through Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Godagari demanding punishment of the officials of Syngenta and compensation for nearly 5,000 farmers who planted tomato saplings generated from the seeds supplied by the company and incurred a huge loss because their saplings a were damaged by unknown diseases.
Member of Parliament of Tanore-Godagari constituency Omar Faruque Chowdhury was also present at the rally and expressed his sympathy with thousands of farmers and assured them of measures against the company and help the farmers to realise compensation from the company.
Addressing the rally, Omar Faruque Chowdhury said, farmers of Godagari used to grow 70 per cent of tomato of the country during winter season and thousands of people of the Upazila have taken tomato farming as their means of livelihood. But, this year, the Syngenta company have dashed their hope. Terming the seed problem a conspiracy, Omar Faruque Chowdhury warned that the Syngenta Company will be expelled from Godagari and all farmers will boycott their products if no compensation for the farmers is ensured by the company.
Presided over by Mokhlesur Rahman, convener of Krishi Unnayan Oikkya Parishad, the rally was addressed, among others by Faruk Hossain, Ashraful Islam, Jahangir, Tutul, Jahurul, Jamal, Aminul, Montu, Ziaur and Aftab Uddin.
Faruque, a young entrepreneurs of Mohishalbari village said, even being considerably educated, he could not manage a job and started tomato farming with a bank loan but due to using low quality seeds, of he incurred loss of Tk. 2 million.
Nazrul Islam of Basudevpur village said, he incurred a loss of Tk 0.4 million by cultivating tomato in 11 bighas of land.