Growers cry as vegetable prices nosedive:Daily Sun

 Early cultivation needs extra care and so costs more. If winter vegetables arrive in the market at the outset of the season, good price is fetched. Consequently, farmers show more interest in early cultivation spending more. But this time farmers have been plunged in a debacle by cultivating early vegetables. Since 15 days ago the prices of vegetables have fallen sharply in main vegetable growing
districts, including Dhaka. As a result, the growers are getting as prices less than the production cost. The reason is, in the hope of getting good profit the farmers had cultivated vegetables in larger areas. The harvest was also better as the climate was favourable. So, due to arrival of huge vegetables in the market at a time the prices have nose-dived. And the farmers are facing disaster. The wholesalers in Dhaka said, every year prices of vegetables fall down towards the middle of winter. Farmers can sell these vegetables at good prices at the outset of the season. As a result they get good profit on an average. This year, the supply of vegetables increased largely before the winter set in. As a result, starting to fall down 15 days ago, The prices have by now nose-dived to the bottom. This year’s experience is new to a Karwanbazar wholesaler Mosharaff Hossain. He said, this year every one had tried to bring vegetables to the market earlier. All of them have expected to get good prices. But the result has been quite the opposite. He said the farmers are finished. Every farmer is incurring loss. According to estimate of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS), during winter season every year winter vegetables are cultivated in 4.8 lakh hectares of land. Production stands at 17 lakh tons of vegetables. At the outset of winter radish, turnip, cauliflower and cabbage get people’s massive interest. As a result, at the early stage small size cauliflower and cabbage sells at Tk. 40-50 per piece, while radish Tk. 40-50 per kg and turnip Tk 40-50 per kg. Interest of consumers is also seen in purchasing bean at Tk 100 per kg and new potato at Tk 80 per kg. Over the last two weeks every piece of cauliflower is selling in markets of Dhaka at Tk 20-25 and cabbage at Tk 20-25 per piece while radish is selling at Tk 20 and turnip at Tk 20-25 per kg. But the prices are at the lowest ebb at the farmers level. In the wholesale markets at Rajshahi, Rangpur, Mymensing radish is selling at Tk 0.25-1, turnip at Tk 2-3 per kg and cauliflower at Tk 3-5 per piece and cabbage at Tk 3-4 per piece. It is not a fact that prices of vegetables at the outset of the winter was not high. But that high prices lasted only for a few days. About two weeks ago the prices collapsed. Khalilur Rahman of wholesale market in Karwanbazar said, this year the supply of winter vegetables began more or less one month ago. Then the prices were good. But the supply has increased and prices fell since 15 days ago. Hanif Mia and Nurul Islam echoed his opinion. Hanif said, climate was good before winter this year. There was no heavy rain. As a result the harvest of cauliflower and cabbage has been good. Prices have come down as huge vegetables arrived in the market at a time. Khalilur Rahman, an employee in a wholesale house, said the vegetable growers counted loss last year due to unbridled hartal. The vegetables which could be brought in the capital market were sold at high price. As small number trucks could enter Dhaka city, the farmers suffered loss. There is no updated statistics of the government as to the vegetable cultivation cost. The farmers do not record the cost systematically. But there is a rough figure of that cost. In view of the estimated cost, it may be said that the farmers are not getting back their production cost. Yakub Ali, a farmer of Parila village at Poba Union under Rajshahi, cultivated cauliflower in 12 kathas of land this winter. He had to invest Tk 11,500. He has already sold products worth Tk 3,000 so far. He stopped harvesting the remaining cauliflowers as the present value will not be equal to the production cost. Nurul Islam, a middleman, procured turnips from a farmer of Savar. He carried the item to Karwan Bazar wholesale market. He sold tulips there at wholesale price ranging between Tk 7 to 10 per kg. He said to have procured the product at Tk 2-3 per kg from the cultivator. He admitted the cultivator counted loss worth Tk 2 per kg. Kona Mohanto, a farmer of Baraipara at Badlipukur Union under Rangpur, cultivated cauliflower and cabbage in 2 bighas of land in this season. It cost Tk 15,000 to produce the items per bigha. He anticipated a price of Tk 15-20 for per piece of cauliflower or cabbage. In the irony of the fate, each piece is selling at Tk 5. Sahadat, a farmer of the same area, alleged that he failed to earn even Tk 500 by selling huge quantity of radish grown in 1 bigha of land. A question comes to mind as to who are responsible for vegetable price hike. It is learnt that the retailers are behind the skyrocketing prices. They sell the items at a price which is two or three times higher than that of their purchasing cost. They would like to make ghost profit by selling little amount of product. Market monitoring at Wednesday night and Thursday morning shows that per kg radish was selling at Tk 3-6, turnip at Tk 6-7, cauliflower at Tk 8-10 and cabbage at Tk 7-8. At the same place, the retailers were selling radish at Tk 15-20 per kg, turnip Tk 20, cauliflower Tk 20-25 and cabbage Tk 20. The pictures of other retail markets are worse. One kg radish is sold at Tk 20-25, cauliflower Tk 20-30, cabbage Tk 20-25 and turnip Tk 20-25 at the kitchen markets in Mohakhali and Kazipara. Md Kazal, a retailer of Kazipara, said they procure nearly 400 kg vegetables every day. He has to bear cost of Tk 50,000 including shop rent and salary of the employees. As such, he has to make undue profit.