For a second day, Bangladesh Railway's special agricultural goods train left Jessore for Dhaka without any vegetables on board on Tuesday.
Despite being a low-cost, safe, and hassle-free option for transporting produce to Dhaka, farmers have shown little interest in using this service.
Officials believe there are three primary reasons for this lack of participation: low vegetable production due to heavy rains from late July to mid-October, local farmers selling directly from their fields, and the added costs of transporting vegetables from fields to the train station (labour and van or transport charges).
Railway officials hope that as production increases, more farmers will opt to use the train service.
Amid rising food prices impacting the middle class, Bangladesh Railway launched a special train service to transport agricultural products from 15 production regions across the country. This initiative aims to ensure a steady supply of goods nationwide.
The special train, which first ran on October 22, left Khulna for Dhaka without any booked produce on board.
The same occurred on Tuesday, as the train stopped briefly at Jessore station around 11:30am before continuing to Dhaka without any vegetables or other produce.
Sheikh Kamruzzaman, the train's director, said: "We departed from Khulna on time, but no vegetables were loaded there. We left Jessore station the same way. I cannot comment on why farmers are not using the train."
In conversations with vegetable farmers and traders, many indicated they were not initially informed about the train service from Jessore.
Trader Atiar Rahman mentioned that trucks are a more convenient option as they can be loaded directly at the wholesale market, benefiting both farmers and traders.
Transporting produce to the train station, loading, and unloading were noted as inconvenient and cumbersome.
When asked why farmers are not using the special train service, Senior Agriculture Marketing Officer Salam Tarafdar said: "For small-scale farmers, transporting two or four mounds of vegetables to Dhaka for sale is not practical. There are collection points in various production areas, making local sales easier for them."
He added: "People are familiar with the hassle of train transport. Issues such as porters demanding high fees and handling problems are still a concern, though conditions have improved recently."
"I also spoke with vegetable traders," he said. "They cited high labour costs, from transporting produce from fields to markets, then to stations, and finally to Dhaka."
The official added: "Additionally, Karwan Bazar, a major market for traders, has no station nearby. The train stops at Dhaka airport, Tejgaon, and Kamalapur stations, requiring further transport, which discourages them."
Aynal Hasan, station master at Jessore Railway Junction, said: "The special train operates once a week, every Tuesday, to ensure fresh produce reaches Dhaka quickly. However, we are not seeing the expected response from farmers, who remain largely uninterested. We have discussed this with the agriculture department and traders to encourage them to use the train."
He said transporting by train could offer a safe environment, free from harassment, where farmers and traders could simply load and unload their goods.
Additionally, a refrigerated compartment on the train is available for perishable items requiring cold storage.
Citing recent excessive rainfall and crop loss as major factors, Aynal said low production has discouraged farmers from using the service.
He remains hopeful that vegetable transportation by train will increase as production rises.
The train will operate from Khulna on Tuesdays, Panchagarh on Thursdays, and Chapainawabganj on Saturdays, with a transport cost of Tk1.08 to Tk1.47 per kilogram of produce.
This service has a daily transport capacity of 120 tons.
