TANJIL HASAN, Munshiganj

Despite a bumper harvest of pumpkins in the Arial Beel area of Munshiganj, farmers are struggling financially due to a steep decline in market prices.

By the end of January, the water in Arial Beel had dried up, allowing farmers to harvest the pumpkins they had cultivated along the banks of the waterbodies in the area.

Farmers typically grow two varieties of pumpkins: a larger, colourful local variety and a pest-resistant hybrid variety, which has gained popularity in recent years. While this year’s harvest was abundant, market prices have fallen sharply, leaving farmers struggling to cover their production costs.

“Last year, I sold pumpkins for Tk 30-32 per kilogramme, but this year I’m getting only Tk 8-10 per kg. The situation is the same for all the 3-4 thousand farmers here. How can we survive like this?” said Abul Kashem, a farmer from Gadighat in Shyamsiddhi union.

The cost of production has also increased significantly. Fertiliser prices have risen by Tk 500-700 per bag compared to last year, and labour costs are adding to the financial strain, said farmers.

Nurul Haque, another local farmer, said, “It costs about Tk 15,000 to grow pumpkins, with additional costs for transporting the produce to the city. With the current market prices, we are barely covering our costs, let alone making any profit.”

Contacted, Bipul Kumar Mohanta, deputy director of the DAE in Munshiganj, said farmers are currently selling pumpkins

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