Although the vegetable growers of Jhenaidah have been benefiting from their various produces in the current season, the sweet pumpkin farmers have been witnessing the reverse as there is no such demand of the produces.
It will throw them into serious financial loss, said local sweet pumpkin farmers. Moreover, as the farmers stacked the unsold pumpkins in their houses the pumpkins started to rot. As a result, the farmers are unable to sell the pumpkins they stored.
Renowned organic vegetable farmer Altaf Hossain alias Altu Mia of Ganna village and some other farmers of Dohijuri and Khamarail in Jhenaidah Sadar upazila when contacted said the current price of the sweet pumpkins cannot make up for the production cost in the season.
Farmer Altu Mia said he produced 12 tones of sweet pumpkin on his land in the season spending Taka 65 thousand. He was expecting over Taka 1.2 lakh from the same, while the wholesale purchasers are not rushing at all.
However, this tasty and medium size variety had a good demand in Bogura, Satkhira, Khulna, Barishal and some other markets. He had stored the same at his godown where about 10 percent of the pumpkins have already rotten. He is at his wits end finding no way to recover his money, Altu Mia added.
Deputy Director of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah Asgar Ali when contacted said the farmes in Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu had brought 9,343 hectares of land under vegetable farming including sweet pumpkin this season. 94,000 tones of the same were produced during the season as the yield was better this season due to favourable climate.