The five-day blockade, sponsored by the BNP led 18-party-alliance, has brought woe to farmers, traders and transport workers in Khulna city.
Traders in the city’s kitchen markets were anxious because of the lack of customers in the last five days.
On a visit yesterday to Sonadanga kitchen market, a main hub for vegetable traders in the city, we found that some growers, who had come from Dumuria upazila, were very worried about their radishes, cauliflowers, beans and tomatoes - as there were very few customers.
Ibrahim Mia, one of the farmers, said they could hardly reach Sonadanga kitchen market from Dumuria, 25 kilometres away from the district town, due to the lack of transport.
Ibrahim, along with other farmers, started desperately selling their vegetables to passers-by at throwaway prices.
Nazrul Islam, president of the Sonadanga kitchen market, said retailers, as well as customers, were not interested in buying as no trucks had entered or left the city because of the blockade.
The continued blockade programme has created a lot of trouble for businesses men.
Yesterday, trucks were waiting at the compounds of jute mills and shrimp factories to load goods for delivery to Chittagong port, reports BSS.
Abdul Baki, ex-vice president of Khulna Frozen Foods Exporters Association and owner of Oriental Fish Processing Company Ltd, said: “We have requested the buyers give us some more time. If they do not agree, we will have to sell the costly frozen foods (shrimps) at the local markets, incurring huge losses.”
Fazlu Sharif, owner of FR Jute Trading, said his business had come to a standstill during the continuous blockade.
The blockade has also brought woe to 30,000 transport workers in Khulna.
Zakir Hossain Biplob, president of the motor bus workers union, said transport workers had become direct victims of the blockades.
