The price of bottle gourds in Rajshahi has plummeted immediately after Eid-ul-Azha, leaving farmers struggling to recover their production costs.
Across the district's upazilas, gourds are now being sold at roadside markets and intersections for as little as Tk 5 each.
However, the same gourds fetch more than ten times that amount after passing through traders and reaching markets in other parts of the country. While middlemen and wholesalers are reportedly earning substantial profits, local farmers say they are facing severe financial losses.
Before Eid, farmers sold each bottle gourd for Tk 35 to Tk 40. Within just a few days after the holiday, prices dropped dramatically to around Tk 5 per piece.
"We cannot even recover our cultivation costs at this price," several farmers said.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Rajshahi has recorded its highest-ever bottle gourd production this season across its nine upazilas. Every day, farmers bring their produce to roadside markets and rural intersections, where wholesalers purchase the gourds and transport them to destinations across the country.
The Rajshahi District DAE reported that bottle gourds were cultivated on 666 hectares of land this year, up from 521 hectares last year, breaking all previous records. The highest levels of cultivation were recorded in Durgapur, Bagha, Godagari, Paba and Puthia upazilas.
Visits to several upazilas, including Durgapur, Puthia and Bagmara, revealed vast fields filled with trellises heavy with gourds. Traders were seen purchasing the produce directly from farmers in the fields and at roadside collection points before loading them onto trucks for shipment to Dhaka, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Khulna, Barishal, Sylhet and Chittagong.
An investigation found a stark contrast between farmgate and retail prices. Traders are allegedly taking advantage of the post-Eid situation to purchase gourds at extremely low prices, while consumers in urban markets continue to pay significantly more.
Many farmers and residents claim that trader syndicates are manipulating prices, creating a large gap between village and city markets.
Imran Ali, a resident of Debipur village in Durgapur municipality, said he witnessed traders buying gourds for only Tk 5 each at a local intersection after Eid.
"Today, in a Narsingdi market, I saw the same Rajshahi gourds selling for Tk 65 to Tk 70 each. Traders are making more than ten times the profit on every gourd. This is how such a huge price gap is created between villages and cities," he said.
Kamrul Hasan, originally from Naopara village in Durgapur and currently living in Mohakhali, Dhaka, echoed the concern.
"I heard gourds in our area are selling for only Tk 5 each, yet in Dhaka markets the same gourds cost Tk 70 to Tk 75. Farmers in the villages never receive a fair price for their produce," he said over the phone.
On Sunday morning, wholesale trader Abdul Alim was purchasing gourds at the Durgapur upazila town intersection. Defending the low farmgate prices, he cited transportation challenges during the Eid period.
"There is a severe transport crisis because many drivers and helpers are still on holiday. Transportation and supply costs have increased significantly," he said.
"Gourds are also rotting in farmers' fields, which has pushed prices down. Even though prices rise after the produce changes hands, our profit margins are not as high as people think because of transportation expenses."
Farmers, however, remain frustrated.
Anwarul Islam, a gourd farmer, said he has a large number of gourds growing on trellises across his 15 kathas of land.
"On the first day, I sold 40 gourds at Tk 32 each. But after Eid, the price suddenly collapsed. If this continues, I will suffer major losses from gourd cultivation this season," he said.
Nasir Uddin, Deputy Director of the Rajshahi District Department of Agricultural Extension, acknowledged the problem.
"A large gap between village and city vegetable prices is often created due to syndicate activities. We regularly submit reports on the issue to higher authorities," he said.
He noted that bottle gourd cultivation reached a record high this year, with many farmers using land for gourd production after harvesting potatoes and onions.
"Every day, wholesalers purchase gourds directly from farmers at roadside collection points and transport them across the country. We are emphasizing market monitoring to protect farmers' interests," he added.
