The New Nation - Internet Edition

Yesterday a Bengali daily carried a news item informing that the farmers in Bhola district could not purchase 1 kg of rice with the sale proceeds of 18 kgs of Tomato. That is the real scenario of the misfortunes of the agri-producers. They just do not get even the bare production costs of their products. They sustain losses all the times.

Let us calculate the production cost of Tomato per kg. And in the process we are to consider these factors-land rent, seed cost, prices of fertiliser, pesticides and labour cost (self or hired), irrigation cost, and transportation to market place and may be some rates and tolls, formal or informal, all at current prices. By any conservative estimate it will be not less than taka 5 (five) only per kg. Then what is the ultimate sale value. It is just Tk 36/- the price of 1kg rice. That real sale value of 1 kg Tomato is Tk 2 (36÷18) only. That is the amount of net loss per kg. Tomato is Taka 3 (5-2). In other seasonal words the Tomato farmers sustained Tk 3 (three) loss per 1 kg. Similar is the case to producers of most other seasonal agri-products. They incur losses perpetually.

Why it does so happen? Because of the improper market management. However, the theoreticians may say about the imperfect demand-supply factory-hinting to market dynamisim. But in reality that is not the scenario. The reality is:

First, the firmers lack preservation facilities of these seasonal products (They also lack holding strength as is the case with potato this year).

Secondly, the over presence of the all powerful middlemen (Fairas) in the market. As the local consumsion rate is very limited at the grass-root level the farmers have no option but to sell products at whatever throw away price(s) offered by the middlemen.

Thirdly, there is no real move to establish agrio-industries in the country at either level-private or public.

Lastly, there is no effective market monitoring and regulatory authority or mechnism to look after the interest of the growers.

The media also ignores or downplay the interests of the growers. They create a hype if the price of power milk goes up by Taka 5 per kg. But they remain non-chalant when the prices of potato or jute drive-down at the lowest rung.

And that is the tragedy. There is no body or person to uphold the cause/iterest of the real producers of the country.

Abu Musa Miah

Lalbagh, Dhaka