Farmers who produce cauliflower seedlings in Mainamati area of Cumilla are facing hardship as they were unable to produce and sell expected number of cauliflower seedlings due to the recent flood and excessive rain.
This year, throughout the peak production and marketing season of cauliflower seedlings, there was an unfavorable weather condition. While seedlings were produced, continuous rainfall, floods, and water-logging in various parts of the area destroyed many of the seedlings. On the other hand, farmers are facing financial losses of hundreds of thousands taka as they are unable to sell the surviving seedlings.
Local farmers have been producing cauliflower seedlings for over four decades at Someshpur village in Burichang upazila of the district. Once, farmers from across the country would come here to buy cauliflower seedlings.
The farmers start preparing the field during mid-July. They make small seed beds and plants seedlings there. Later, they cover the beds with polythene to save them from rain and sunlight.
When this correspondent talked with various farmers including Mobarak, Narayan, Latif, they said they usually start selling seedlings at the end of July. Hundreds of farmers from Noakhali, Chattogram, Khagrachhari, Feni, Lakshmipur, Chandpur, Brahmanbaria, Sylhet, Habiganj, Cumilla and other areas come here during this time and buy seedlings from them.
Along with help from their family members, they make contact with two to four labourers. These labourers work for mour months during the season. The farmers pay the Tk 18,000 for four months and provide food and housing. This year was also the same.
However, like the rest of the country, there has been heavy rainfall in Cumilla as well. Furthermore, several areas of the country have experienced multiple floods. As a result, while there was a rush for seedling sales at the beginning of August, now, more than half the season has passed, with October 10 already gone, yet the sale of seedlings in the Someshpur area of Mainamoti has not picked up at all. Local seedling producers blame the rainfall in other parts of the country for this situation. They further explained that while farmers from other areas have refrained from coming to buy seedlings due to waterlogging, they have continued to produce seedlings, covering them with plastic to protect them from the heavy rain. However, on one hand, there is a lack of buyers, and on the other hand, many seedlings have been destroyed due to waterlogging in their area as well. As a result, many seedling producers have incurred losses of hundreds of thousands taka. A seedbed is prepared, and within four days of sowing the seeds, the seedlings begin to sprout. They become ready for sale in about 7-8 days. During this time, the farmers must work tirelessly to protect the seedlings from the sun, rain, storms, or adverse weather, sometimes using irrigation, covering them with plastic, or uncovering them as needed.
The farmers produce high-quality cauliflower seedlings of various varieties such as Iceball, Faceball, Mountain 47, Siraji, Fresh, Weightstone, and Silver-cup. For this, representatives from those seed companies maintain regular contact with them. Several farmers said that nearly every farmer in the area has suffered losses ranging from a minimum of one lakh to a maximum of five to six lakhs in the current season due to the continuous rain. However, none of the farmers here have received any form of financial assistance from the government.
The farmers of the Someshpur village in Mainamoti also produce and sell seedlings of various crops besides cauliflower, including cabbage, tomatoes, eggplants, chilies, and bottle gourds.
Burichag Upazila Agriculture Officer Mst Afrina Akter said these farmers produce seedlings commercially. There are no opportunities for government support or incentives for supervision. However, we regularly provide them with advice at the field level.
