KHULNA, Jan 13 (BSS): The continuous blockade of road, railway and waterway enforced by BNP-led 20-party alliance has hit farmers, exporters, domestic businesses and brought woes to transport workers in the city.
A large number of farmers and vendors in the city's kitchen markets looked anxious, as they found very thin presence of customers during the last seven days.
While visiting the Sonadanga kitchen market in the city today farmers from Dakop Upazila were found very anxious with their radish, cauliflower, bean, cabbage, carrot and tomato with no buyers for their goods.
Joynal Bapery, one of the farmers, told the news agency that they have come from Dakop Upazila, 30 kilometres away from the city market, facing various obstructions on the way.
Joynal along with other farmers, being desperate, started selling their vegetables to passers-by, at throwaway prices.
Like Joynal, many other farmers were seen selling popular winter vegetables at very low prices at Sonadanga kitchen market.
Nazrul Islam, president of Sonadanga kitchen market, told the news agency that retailers as well as customers did not show interest to buy vegetables.
Meanwhile, continued blockade affected domestic business, jute and shrimp shipments.
Many trucks are waiting in the compound of jute mills and shrimp hatcheries for loading goods for carrying them to Mongla Port.
Abdul Baki, former vice president of Khulna Frozen Foods Exporters Association and owner of a fish processing plant, told the news agency, "We have requested the buyers to allow us some more time. If they do not agree, we will have to sell the frozen foods (shrimp) at local market sustaining vast loss. The losses accumulated would be massive as we cannot run factories properly due to continuous blockade".
"If we fail to ship our shrimps next week, we will have to shut our factories," he said.
Fazlu Sharif, owner of a jute trading company, told the news agency, "Our business has come to a total halt due to continuous blockade".
The burden of bank interest rising along with the pressure to pay salaries to the workers, he said, adding that if they could not make shipment of jutes through Mongla Port urgently they would get rotten.
The blockade brings woes to about 12,000 transport workers in Khulna. Most of them-drivers, conductors and helpers of buses, trucks and pick up vans-are passing very hard days with their families.
