Just four years ago, after plucking tomato three to four-time from the field, tomato farmers of Godagari did not pluck rest of the tomatoes from their fields because the price of tomato by that time fell so low that the farmers did not get the return of the labour cost by selling that. As a result, the tomatoes were let to ripen and damage in the field. Those leftover tomatoes in the field were then used as fodder of the cattle heads.
But with the establishment of the Barenda Industrial Park some four-years ago beside Rajshahi-Chapainawabganj highway at Amanatpur under Godagari upazila, the scenario has been changed altogether. Farmers now pluck their tomato till the drying up of the plant. Wholesale traders now purchase those left-over tomatoes from the farmers and sell those to the Barendra Industrial Park, agro-products processing industry of PRAN-RFL group.
The industry was set up on 102 bighas of land in 2017. This industry processes mango and tomato for pulping. Tomato farmers of the region have started to get benefit from the BIP soon after its inauguration. They do not need to leave their tomatoes unplucked in the field to use those as fodder.
Local farmers, however, informed after the first plucking of tomato, the demand of the vegetable is gradually decreased as the price also fell. At the first harvest, the traders purchased the unripened, green tomatoes and ripened those by spraying the chemical 'Ethiphen' in the sunshine. Those ripened tomatoes are sent to various places of the country including in Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet.
Later, no chemical is needed to ripen the tomato. Then the farmers can pluck ripened tomatoes direct from the field. Still, later, small-sized, left-over ripened tomatoes are plucked and sent those to Barendra Industrial Park for pulping.
Tomato farmer Monirul Islam of Chowduar village informed he cultivated tomato on two-bigha of land. On January-22 ( Friday) he was selling tomatoes plucked from his field. Purchasers of the tomatoes Nazim Uddin and Sharif Hossain were sorting the large-sized, quality tomatoes and pouring those in the crates. Monirul informed, the first tomato he plucked from his field some two-month ago and sold those green tomatoes at Taka 1,500 per maund ( 40 kgs). He added, tomatoes can be plucked after every 14-day from the field. He later sold that tomatoes at Taka 1,200, Taka 800 and Taka 400 per maund respectively. Now, the demand for tomatoes in the market has fallen and the wholesale traders are now purchasing tomatoes for supplying those to the BIP.
On Friday last, Monirul had sold the naturally ripened tomatoes at Taka 100 per crate. One crate of tomatoes weighs 25 kilograms. He said, though at a low price of Taka 4.00 per kg only, he is now being able to sell those tomatoes, otherwise, he used to leave those tomatoes in the field just to rot and use as fodder.
Nazim Uddin, a wholesale tomato trader informed, they are purchasing good quality tomatoes from the farmers and selling those to BIP.
SM Saroar Hossain, Deputy General Manager of BIP informed, mango and tomato pulps are produced in their factory. They wait every year to procure naturally ripened tomato at the field. During the end of the season, farmers plucked ripened tomatoes from their fields. Wholesale traders purchase those tomatoes from the farmers and sell those to them. This year they have started to purchase tomatoes from the farmers from Januray-19. He further informed they have fixed a target to produce 2,500 metric tonnes pulps from some 15,000 tonnes of tomatoes this year.
Shasmul Haque, Deputy Director of Rajshahi district Agricultural Extension Department informed, earlier, tomato farmers did not pluck tomatoes from their field during the last phase of harvesting. As a result, they ploughed the tomato fields. But, now due to the demand of tomatoes from the BIP, farmers are being able to pluck and sell their tomatoes till the last of the winter season. He thinks more such industries should be set up here.
Shafiqul Islam, Upazila Agriculture Officer of Godagari informed, the farming of tomato got popular among farmers some 15-year ago. Nearly 10,00o farmers are involved with tomato farming in the upazila. Tomato has been cultivated on 2,250 hectares of land in the upazila this year. Around Taka 15,000 is required to cultivate tomato in a bigha of land and 70 to 80 maunds of tomatoes are produced in a bigha of land in an average.
