Bad days for Modhupur pineapple farmers

The flood had damaged vast pineapple plantations and the ripe ones are rotting in fields due to lack of buyers.

The price has also fallen drastically. Pineapples are now sold at Tk 1.50-2 against Tk4-5 last year.

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People of the area are dependent mainly on cultivation of pineapple, banana, ginger and turmeric because the soil is suitable more for these crops than for rice, wheat and cereals. Over fifty percent of farmers in the region are dependent on income from the once-a-year cash crop.

Sources in the Agriculture Extension Department (AED) and farmers said the current floods have damaged about 3000 big and small pineapple farms.

On many of the unaffected farms, pineapple is rotting for want of buyers due to flood, they said.

The damage would be worth around Tk two crore, AED officials told this correspondent during a visit to the area on Tuesday.

Arjun Hagidog of Joynagacha village said he cultivated pineapple on five acres, but all were damaged by flood. Arjun said last year he sold about two lakh pineapples and earned about Tk eight lakh.

He could sell only 10, 000 pieces so far this year at Tk 1.5 to 2 apiece against last year's price between Tk 4 and Tk 5. The price has fallen because few buyers came in view of the flood.

Widow Nrimala Chisim is a rich farmer in Bhaduria village. He has four gardens spread over about eight acres.

Last year she sold about three lakh pineapples at Tk 12 lakh. But this year he earned only round Tk 20,000 against the cost of about Tk one lakh. She has two daughters and one son, who are colleges student.

Abdul Hakim of Talki village said flood completely damaged his two-acre garden. He cultivated pineapple for the first time this year. Flood has taken away the crop, he lamented.

According Modhupur AED, pineapple is cultivated on about 5000 acres of land in the upazila.

Streams of trucks were usually seen on roads here during July-August every year, carrying pineapples to different districts. But this correspondent saw only three trucks on Tuesday, carrying pineapple to Dhaka.