Dinajpur Correspondent:
A temporary banana wholesale market set up along the Dashmail Highway in Dinajpur’s Kaharol Upazila has added a new dimension to North Bengal’s agricultural economy. Bananas loaded into vans, pickups and trucks from dawn to dusk every day are ensuring business worth crores of taka at this market. This market has now become an important economic center of the region by creating employment for not only farmers or wholesalers, but also hundreds of workers.
Banana farmers are getting a fair price for their crops here. Shaheen Alam of Nayabad village has cultivated bananas on 48 acres of land and sold one hundred bananas for 62,000 taka, which is quite profitable for him. Another farmer, Md. A. Majid, said that he expects to earn more than 3 lakh taka by selling bananas from his 3.5 bighas of land. Agriculture officials say that due to the good yield and demand in the market, farmers are now becoming more interested in banana cultivation.
This market has had a positive impact on the local economy. Hundreds of workers earn a living by loading and unloading bananas every day. Workers Hasan Ali and Hafiz Alam said that they can earn between Tk 500 and Tk 700 a day. This makes it easier to meet their family expenses. The market’s leaseholder Ershadul Islam said that at least 100 workers work here during the season, which is helping to reduce unemployment.
In addition to meeting local demand, bananas are sent from this market to different districts of the country. Wholesalers come from different parts of the country, including Dhaka and Feni. Wholesaler Azim Uddin said that he buys three trucks of bananas every day and sends them to Dhaka, and his business is doing well due to high demand. Another wholesaler, Shamsul Islam, said that prices have come down slightly due to increased supply, but farmers are still making good profits.
Agriculture officials highlighted the importance of this market. Assistant Director of Dinajpur Regional Agriculture Department, Zahidur Rahman said that the soil of Kaharol and the surrounding areas is very suitable for banana cultivation. He said that bananas from here are now being supplied to the whole country after meeting the local demand. Deputy Director of the District Agriculture Extension Department, Nuruzzaman Mia said that farmers are being encouraged to cultivate improved varieties of bananas, which is helping them to be more profitable.
This haat, which has been going on for the past two months, is expected to continue for the next one month. During this period, it will play an important role for the agricultural economy of North Bengal.
