Low price frustrates betel nut growers
Despite a bumper yield this year, betel nut growers in different districts of Rangpur region remain upset for not getting the expected market price of the item.
The money generated from selling betel nuts provides additional financial supports to many farmers in the northern region.
Farmers in the region said this year the yield of betel nut is two times more than the previous year.
Due to increase in production and huge supply in local markets betel nut farmers are compelled to sell their produces at a lower price, compared to the previous years.
Rangpur region has a market of betel nut worth take several hundred crores.
Farmers said they were selling each betel nut between Tk 1 to Tk 3 this year, which was between Tk 5 to Tk 7 during this time last year.
Meanwhile, taking advantage of the bumper yield and huge supply of betel nut, wholesalers are buying the item at a low price, depriving the farmers from fair price.
Local farmers are compelled to sell their product at a low price as the yield is almost double than that of the previous year, a number of growers said.
Although almost all the farmers have 20 to 50 betel nut trees surrounding their homestead, many of them are cultivating the crop commercially.
Each tree produces 250 to 800 pieces of betel nuts and continues the process for 20 to 30 years or so.
As betel nuts are produced naturally, farmers do not have to spend extra money apart from applying organic fertilisers and water.
Farmer Quader Ali of Nazimkhan village in Kurigram's Rajarhat upazila said last year he got Tk 5.7 lakh from selling betel nuts produced in 250 trees.
This year, he is yet sale his betel nuts as the price is quite low in local markets.
Madhav Chandra Das of the village said he sold betel nuts from his 10 trees worth Tk 6,500, which was sold for TK 17,000 last year.
"As I needed money on an emergency basis, I was compelled to sale the product at a lower price,' Madhav said.
Nabir Hossain, a betel nut wholesaler at Lalmonirhat's Durakuti Haat, said as there is huge supply of betel nuts in local markets, so price is quite low this year.
According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), there are about 50 to 55 lakh betel nut trees in Rangpur region's 5 districts -- Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Gaibandha and Nilphamari.
Besides, there are nearly 1,600 betel nut orchards in those districts and each orchard has 200 to 2,000 trees.
The region produces nearly 300 crore betel nuts every year.
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