MEHERPUR, Oct 9: Cabbage cultivation experienced crop failure due to excessive rainfall and sultry weather in the district.
Rainwater accumulated in the fields and rotted the roots. More than 70 per cent of the cabbage got damaged due to fungal and insect attacks extensively.
Growers will have to count losses of about Tk 25,000-30,000 per bigha. In the season, the profit was about Tk 1 lakh.
According to growers, the cost of cultivating early varieties of cabbage is about Tk 40,000 per bigha including lease money. Due to crop failure, cabbages of one bigha land are selling at Tk 10,000-15,000.
Growers said, summer cabbage saplings are planted in mid-July. Cabbages are marketed in late September and early October.
Tropical Quick, Tropic Chan, Green Star, and Rajasan varieties are cultivated.
According to sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)-Meherpur, about 750 hectares of land have been brought under cabbage cultivation in Meherpur.
A visit to different cabbage fields in Sholmari Village of Meherpur, widely known for vegetables, found rotted cabbages; many people were seen ploughing fields of damaged cabbages.
Tozammel Haque, grower of the same village in Sadar Upazila, said, "I cultivated cabbage of early varieties on six and a half bigha land.
Per bigha farming cost stands at Tk 25,000 iancluding fertiliser, saplings and labour, but sold at Tk 12,000 per bigha", he added.
Grower Golam Hossain said, he cultivated cabbage on four bighas of lease land at about Tk 40,000 per bigha. But he will get sale of Tk 50,000 per bigha.
Grower Ripon Ali said, "In the last year I sold one bigha summer cabbage at Tk 1.20 lakh. With that hope, I cultivated two and a half bighas this time. But almost plants rotted due to incessant rain."
Vijay Krishna Halder, deputy director of the DAE-Meherpur said, due to adverse weather condition, there has been a disaster in the yield of summer cabbage; yet due to high prices, some losses are being overcome.
