Farmers in BograAbout 40% of the vegetables produced round the year in the country, now lie rotting in the field. This is the time to harvest the new potatoes. The farmers have even begun digging up the potatoes from the ground. About 20 to 30% of the potatoes have been harvested. But due to the fear of petrol bomb attacks, about two million tonnes of potatoes have not been able to reach the consumers. These are rotting in the markets and the fields.

Due to lack of transport, supply of rice has fallen by 60% too. About 80% of the rice mills have had to close down.

Having harvested the aman rice crop, the farmers had cultivated seasonal vegetables and potatoes. They were now preparing the land for the boro rice crop. They invest their earnings from their produce to plant the boro crop. The floods have been a curse for their Aman crop, but they had hoped to make up for the losses though their vegetables. But with the blockade on for a non-stop 22 days, that hardly seems feasible anymore.

About 60 to 70 percent of the vegetables produced around the year in the country, are grown in winter. About 40% of this is harvested in January and February. Due to the political turmoil, the farmers have almost stopped gathering vegetables from the field. Where the vegetables are not being sold, they are rotting. Tomatoes, brinjal, beans and cauliflower are being sold cheaply.

With good prices last year, this year there has been a good harvest of potatoes. New potatoes are just emerging in the northern region of the country, but these are hardly reaching the consumers. Last year these sold at Tk 400 to Tk 500 per maund. This year these are not selling at even Tk 200 per maund.

The sale of aman rice has also almost come to halt. According to the 'Grain and Feed Update' published by the US government agricultural department USDA on 6 January, Bangladesh's aman production will fall mid-year due to floods. Before they can overcome the floods, the farmers are having to face the blockade.

Mahbub Hossain, former director general of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and economist, said, "The on-going blockade will hit the farmers hard. January-February is the best time for the aman rice, vegetables and potato sales. Unless they can sell their produce, the farmers won't be able to invest in the boro rice crop. This may bring boro production down. It will be hard to hold on to the food autarky that the country has achieved."

Prices of un-husked rice (dhan) normally increase in January. When the boro harvest begins in March April, prices go down. But this year the price of rice and un-husked rice have already fallen in January. Un-husked rice is selling for Tk 650 to Tk 850 per maund. But the price of rice at the consumer level hasn't gone down.

Mahbub Hossain says, businessmen have demanded that the government pay compensation for the losses they have faced during the blockade. But the farmers have no such strong organisation and cannot make such demands. If the government can pay the farmers compensation for natural disasters, then they should pay them compensation for the losses made during political turmoil too.

Source - http://en.prothom-alo.com