SOURCE: Dhaka Tribune
The farmers said wholesalers and their representatives from different parts of the country flock to the upazila every year when the harvesting season begins.
Despite bumper production, jackfruit growers in Sreepur upazila of Gazipur are incurring losses due to a lack of customers and falling prices brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A total of 9,380 hectares of land have been brought under jackfruit cultivation this year with a production target of 247,210 tonnes in the district. Around 70 percent of the total land has been used for cultivating Jackfruit in Sreepur upazila alone, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE).
The farmers said wholesalers and their representatives from different parts of the country flock to the upazila every year when the harvesting season begins.
However, this year, the situation is totally different as the traders are not visiting due to the pandemic. On top of that, a lot of jackfruits are going to waste as there is no system of preserving them, they said.
Some jackfruit growers also said that they did not get fair price of jackfruits, despite repeated bumper productions year after year, due to a lack of adequate marketing facilities.
They requested the authorities concerned to take measures towards ensuring adequate marketing facilities for fair pricing of jackfruit in the region.
Jackfruit grower Taijuddin from Tepir Bari village of Kapasia upazila, said: “Every year, I sell jackfruits worth Tk3 lakh. This year, even though there was a good yield of the fruit, the coronavirus pandemic is causing loss as no wholesaler is coming to buy the fruit in fear of Covid-19 infections.”
Another farmer Abdur Rahman of Gazipur village said: “Jackfruits have yielded good compared to last year, but the coronavirus has caused a slump in sales.”
“I was supposed to sell all the jackfruits in my orchard at around Tk 50,000 to 60,000 (USD 590-708), but I sold it for Tk 40,000 (USD 472), which caused me a huge loss.” said Abdur Rouf, a resident of Korolpara village in Rajabari union of Sreepur upazila
Speaking on the issue, Mahabub Alom, deputy director of Gazipur Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said that there was a good yield of Jackfruits in the district, like previous years. “We will provide necessary transport support and directives to the farmers who have not been able to sell their produce at a good price.”