Bumper Tomato Harvest Brings No Joy to Sunamganj Farmers

In several villages across the district, tomatoes are selling for as little as Tk 50 per maund, but buyers are scarce. Without proper preservation options, many farmers have been forced to abandon their crops or feed them to cattle to mitigate losses.

A visit to Jamalganj upazila’s Mannanghat and Selimganj areas revealed vast fields of tomatoes left unharvested. Farmers from 15 villages, including Gajaria, Kashipur, and Songbadpur, had hoped for profitable returns, but the market collapse has left them in despair.

Crops Rot in Fields as Farmers Struggle

Siddiq Mia, a farmer, explained, “I invested Tk 50,000 to grow tomatoes on 33 bighas of land. Now, no one is buying them at Tk 50 per maund. I’m uprooting them to plant cucumbers and pumpkins instead.”

Abdul Alim, another farmer, shared a similar plight: “I spent Tk 100,000 on tomatoes, but the oversupply and high transport costs mean I’m forced to feed them to my cattle.”

For some farmers like Abdul Awal from Songbadpur, the situation is dire. Reliant on tomato farming to support his family, Awal’s tomatoes are rotting due to poor road access, which has deterred wholesalers from visiting his area.

“If cold storage isn’t established here, we may be forced to abandon vegetable farming,” Awal warned.

Urgent Need for Cold Storage and Infrastructure

This crisis underscores the urgent need for cold storage and better infrastructure in the region. Mohammad Iqbal Azad from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Sunamganj acknowledged the difficulties, noting that unreliable power supply makes cold storage a challenge. However, he said a proposal for such a facility has been submitted to the ministry.

Bimal Chandra Shome, DAE's additional director for the Sylhet region, stressed the importance of improved infrastructure and preservation facilities. "Better market access and long-term solutions are needed to prevent such crises in the future," he said.

A Bleak Future for Farmers?

For many farmers, the current crisis threatens not only their finances but their livelihoods. With no immediate relief in sight, many are considering shifting to more stable crops. Without improvements in storage and market access, Sunamganj’s agricultural sector could face long-term decline, and farmers may abandon vegetable farming altogether.

As the fields of Sunamganj stand as a reminder of this recurring issue, locals urge immediate action to prevent the next harvest from suffering the same fate.