Bumper tomato yields bring no joy to Sunamganj farmers

A bountiful tomato harvest in Sunamganj has turned into a nightmare for local farmers, as an oversupply, plummeting prices, and the absence of cold storage facilities have left them struggling with heavy financial losses.

Farmers across several villages in the district are now struggling with an unexpected crisis: tomatoes are selling for as little as Tk50 per maund, yet buyers remain scarce.

With no viable means of preservation, many have been left with no choice but to abandon their crops in the fields or use them as cattle feed to minimise their losses.

A recent visit to Jamalganj upazila's Mannanghat and Selimganj areas revealed vast fields of tomatoes left unharvested. 

Farmers from 15 villages, including Gajaria, Kashipur, Sharifpur, Selimganj, Kalaguja, Bhutiarpur, Rampur, and Songbadpur, had cultivated tomatoes on a large scale this season, hoping for profitable returns. Instead, they now face despair as demand has collapsed.

Crops Rot in Fields as Farmers Struggle

Siddiq Mia, a tomato farmer, shared his frustration, saying, "I invested Tk 50,000 to cultivate tomatoes on 33 bighas of land. Now, no one is willing to buy them, even at Tk 50 per maund. Seeing the tomatoes rot in the fields, I've started uprooting them to plant cucumbers, ridge gourds, and sweet pumpkins instead."

Abdul Alim, another farmer from the lowlands, echoed this distress. "I spent Tk 100,000 to grow tomatoes on 60 bighas of land. But due to the oversupply, no one is offering a fair price. The cost of transporting the produce to the market is higher than the selling price, so I have no choice but to feed the tomatoes to my cattle," he lamented.

For some, the situation has been even more devastating. Abdul Awal from Songbadpur, who relies entirely on tomato farming to support his family, planted tomatoes on 30 bighas of land, hoping for a profitable season. However, a lack of road connectivity has deterred wholesalers from visiting the area, leaving his ripe tomatoes to perish.

"If cold storage facilities are not established in our area, farmers will be forced to abandon vegetable farming altogether," Awal warned.

Need for Cold Storage and Infrastructure Development

The crisis has once again highlighted the urgent need for proper storage and transportation facilities in the region. 

Mohammad Iqbal Azad, a training officer at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Sunamganj, acknowledged the challenges, stating that the district's vulnerability to natural disasters and unreliable electricity supply makes establishing cold storage a significant challenge.

"Without reliable power, stored vegetables would spoil. However, a proposal to set up a cold storage facility in the region has been submitted to the ministry. If approved, it will help farmers preserve their produce and reduce wastage," he said.

Bimal Chandra Shome, additional director of the DAE for the Sylhet region, provided insight into the overall vegetable production scenario in Sunamganj. 

This year, 12,800 hectares of land in the district yielded 319,260 tonnes of winter vegetables, including potatoes, tomatoes, green chillies, cauliflower, cabbage, radish, spinach, and gourds.

He stressed the need for long-term solutions to prevent such crises in the future. "Better market access, improved infrastructure, and preservation facilities are essential to safeguard our farmers," he said.

A Bleak Future for Farmers?

For the struggling farmers of Sunamganj, the current situation is more than just a financial setback—it is a threat to their very livelihood. With no immediate relief in sight, many are reconsidering whether vegetable farming is sustainable in the long run.

Unless effective measures are taken to address storage and market access issues, Sunamganj's agricultural sector may see a decline in vegetable cultivation, as farmers shift to crops that offer more stability, locals said. 

For now, the fields of Sunamganj stand as a stark reminder of a recurring problem—one that demands urgent attention before another season's harvest meets the same tragic fate.