Due to the risk of rotting of watermelon in the field due to transport crisis and rain, Barguna farmers are disoriented

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Md. Yasin (32) cultivates watermelon every year. This time he took a mortgage of three kani land (four and a half acres) and cultivated watermelons. He spent about three and a half lakh rupees by taking loans from various NGOs and mortgaging his wife’s gold ornaments. He hoped that watermelon cultivation would be very profitable. But that dream has now turned into a nightmare due to transport and consumer crisis.

Yasin’s house in M ​​Baliatali village of Barguna Sadar upazila. There are thousands of watermelons that are suitable for him to eat and sell. They are not being sold because traders are not coming. In between, two consecutive days of moderate rain have caused waterlogging and watermelon spoilage. Now the profit is far away, he is worried about raising the production cost.

Yasin said in a tone of regret, “If it had not rained, my watermelons would have been sold for Tk 12-15 lakhs. I don’t know how to repay the loan. Every month installments of 20 thousand rupees have to be paid.

Hundreds of watermelon farmers in the upazila like Yasin are in the same crisis. Big traders buy watermelons from farms and supply them to different districts of the country including Dhaka. But this year due to fuel oil crisis they are not showing much interest. Truck fare has increased from Tk 35 thousand to Tk 50 thousand. Because of this, traders are not coming. In the meantime, rainwater has accumulated and the watermelons have been spoiled and the trees have died.

According to the sources of the office of the district agriculture officer, watermelons have been planted on 12 thousand 324 hectares of land in Barguna this year. Out of this, about 6 thousand hectares of land is in Sadar Upazila. The sale of watermelon has not yet started in the district. If the heavy rains continue, they fear heavy losses.

On Thursday afternoon in Lakurtala, Latakata, Banai and Parirkhaal areas of Sadar Upazila, it was seen that the farmers were trying to remove water from the fields with plow machines. Some are cutting the drains and bringing down the water, some are picking up the submerged watermelons and keeping them in a dry place.

Lakurtala village farmer Abdur Rob Mia said, “Two brothers have cultivated watermelon on six acres of land. Four lakh rupees have been spent on it. But I can’t sell watermelons because there are no buyers. Watermelons are getting lost in the rain. If it continues like this, the cost will not rise.

Harun Mia, another farmer of the same village, said that the fields were submerged in water due to two days of rain. Removed the water with the machine. Traders don’t want to buy watermelons submerged in water. Earlier traders used to come from different districts to buy watermelons, but now they are not coming due to energy crisis. Three Kani spent three lakh rupees on the land. Now raising its production cost is uncertain. He has about 13,000 watermelons to eat.

Barguna Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Sakhawat Hossain said, there is a risk of partial loss of watermelon due to rain. If there is no rain for the next two days, the damage will be less. However, if the rain continues, it is advised to remove the potable water quickly.