Garlic has become one of the major crops grown in Chatmohar in the last three decades. Many farmers of Chatmohar resorted to garlic cultivation due to unexpected profit in previous years. As a result, hundreds of people started making a living by trading garlic in the area. But the impact of foreign garlic imports this year has led to a sharp fall in the price of domestic garlic. The price of garlic has been declining for the last 6 months. Farmers are being deprived of fair prices due to falling prices. They are suffering huge losses. Besides, the garlic traders are getting frustrated as they are constantly counting the losses.
According to the Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Office, garlic was cultivated in 6,200 hectares of land in Chatmohar last season. The average yield per hectare was 7.8 metric tonnes. As such, Chatmohar produced 48,360 metric tonnes of garlic last season.
Garlic is bought and sold in large quantities at Chaikola and Amritkunda markets in Chatmohar. Anshar Ali, president of garlic traders and Chaikola Bazar BanikSamiti, said that during the mass season of garlic cultivation, large size garlic was sold at Tk 2,000 per mound and small size garlic at Tk 1,000 per mound. At present, large size garlic is being sold at Tk 1,400 per mound and small size garlic at Tk 700 per mound. Prices have been steadily declining since the beginning of the season, he said.
Farmers in the area are getting less than the price at which traders are buying and selling garlic. There is a lot of garlic in the market. Foreign garlic is being imported in the country. As a result, farmers in the area are being deprived of a fair price for garlic. Traders are also losing money. So far this year, Anshar Ali haslost at least Tk 10 lakh.
Zaidul Islam, a garlic trader from Chaikola village, said garlic was being imported from abroad. As a result, garlic farmers are suffering due to decline of price. Traders are also suffering due to this issue. Many big businessmen have bought thousands of tonnes of garlic earlier in this year. Hundreds of garlic traders in Chatmohar are now at a loss as a result of the massive fall in garlic prices. Many have taken loans from banks. It will be very difficult for them to repay the loan. Farmers and traders will be able to make up for the loss only if the import of garlic from abroad is stopped and the price of garlic goes up.
Abdur Rahim Manju, a garlic farmer from Chiril village in Mathurapur union of the upazila, said that after the monsoon season, beels in the area dry up. Farmers then sprinkle fertilizer on the soft clay and cultivate garlic.
After sowing, they cover the whole field with straw and water hyacinth. The labor cost of seeds, fertilizers, sowing, a few points of irrigation, weed control, labor cost of lifting all together is about 35 to 40 thousand Tk for planting garlic in one bigha of land. One bigha of land can produce up to 30 tonnes of dried garlic.
The current market price is around 25 to 30 thousand Tk.
According to the current market price, farmers are losing about ten thousand Tk per bigha. Those who share the land of others or cultivate garlic on an annual lease are losing about Tk 20,000 per bigha. Other garlic growers in the area have demanded a fair price for garlic.
