Sugar and fertiliser to import soon

The vegetable farmers in Manikganj have adopted mulching, an environmentally friendly and profitable agricultural practice. By employing mulching, these farmers have achieved double yields and favorable market prices for their vegetables. Mulching involves covering plant roots, vegetable fields, and garden beds with various materials to create a protective layer that is free from toxins found in imported vegetables. The use of plastic mulching has gained popularity with the modernization of agriculture.

The market is waiting for the arrival of Bombay Litchi in Pabna's Ishwardi Hat. Despite a lower yield, litchi farmers and traders are pleased with the good prices they are receiving. Wholesale traders from various districts, including Dhaka, Narayanganj, Khulna, Sylhet, Barisal, and Chittagong, are purchasing litchis in truckloads. Upazila Agriculture Officer anticipates sales of around 5.25 billion taka this season.

Hundreds of trucks carrying onions are waiting at India's Ghojadanga land port to enter Bangladesh via the Bhomra land port, pending permission. Indian traders have prepared in advance for the possibility of onion imports. However, as 27th May, the Bangladesh government has not made a decision on onion importation. Customs officials at the Bhomra land port have not received any instructions regarding onion imports.

Farmers have reduced their sugarcane cultivation due to low prices. They used to cultivate sugarcane on larger areas of land but have now switched to alternative crops. The declining prices and poor quality seeds provided by government sugar mills have led to dissatisfaction among farmers, prompting them to decrease sugarcane cultivation each year. Farmers complain that while the price of sugar has significantly increased in the last decade, the price of sugarcane has not kept pace. Consequently, many farmers have shifted to more profitable crops, and those still in sugarcane cultivation are selling it at higher prices to molasses manufacturers.

The chief of the Directorate of National Consumer Rights Protection (DNCRP) said that the government should maybe consider death penalty for people who hoard stuff and hostage market. Some companies stash goods and stop making more just to raise prices, which is bad. They filed cases against 54 of those companies and want to check prices and cattle for Eid. They talked about it at a fake parliament thing with a group called Debate for Democracy. They want to change the law to protect consumers better and get political parties to care about this issue.

Poor families living in char villages in Sadar, Raipura, and Belabo upazilas have improved their lives by raising ducks. These villages are home to mainly impoverished individuals who lost everything to river erosion. However, a couple of years ago, they started rearing ducks with the aim of changing their economic condition. Each family has an average of 50 ducks, earning around Tk 3,000 to Tk 4,000 per month by selling eggs and ducks. Some farmers now earns over Tk 7,000 monthly by collecting 35 to 40 eggs daily.