Cabbages grown in Jashore make way abroad
A large number of cabbage farmers found in Jashore are getting good charges for their produce because of a project called Sustainable Agriculture, Food Secureness and Linkages (SaFaL).
Solidaridad South and South-East Asia together with the embassy of the Netherlands is implementing the SaFaL program found in the southwest of Bangladesh.
The Dutch NGO, which largely operates in Narsingdi, has been facilitating cabbage exports to Malaysia and Singapore for days gone by three years, said Md Raihanul Islam Chowdhury, programme officer for supply chain of Solidaridad Network Asia.
Jagorani Chakra Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation (NGO), is the Jashore spouse of the programme, he said.
Under the project, both NGOs will work to export cabbage between December and February each year.
The farmers is now able to sell cabbages at the project's collection centres at costs Tk 2 greater than the marketplace price, that used to drop during every harvesting time of year, Chowdhury said.
The project has been set up alongside the Buribhairab river, located one kilometre away from Satmile bazar and 12 kilometres from the Jashore municipality.
Ten collection centres have already been set up in different regions of the district in order that growers can sell their produce without the labour cost.
Eighty labourers just work at the collection centres at Tk 500-600 a day and around 20 % of these are women, he added.
"Around 9,500 farmers took this chance since we began the project back in 2018," he added.
By January 17 this season, the jv has exported a complete of 123 tonnes of cabbages to Malaysia and Singapore.
They now be prepared to ship about 500 tonnes by the finish of the year.
In 2020, around 76 tonnes of cabbage was exported although it was only 22 tonnes in the entire year before.
"Simply because China occupied the international market that time," Chowdhury said.
Photo: Azibor Rahman
In 2018, SaFaL exported 403 tonnes of cabbage and 14 tonnes of other fruit and vegetables to Malaysia and Singapore.
Typically, 21 tonnes of cabbages are shipped a day. The jv also exports other fruit and vegetables between February and September.
Rezaul Islam, a good farmer located in Haybatpur village, said he cultivated cabbage on 8 bighas of land this year.
Islam sold around Tk 2 lakh well worth of the produce up to now and expects to sell another Tk 3 lakh worth by the finish of February.
"I look and feel proud that my merchandise is making its approach abroad," he added.
Nihari Khatun, a good farmer of Sahbajpur village, said she cultivated cabbage on 3 bighas of territory this season and has faced zero issues in selling her products.
She does not pay any sales tax or carrying cost as she sells it right to the neighborhood collection centre.
Previously, Khatun often incurred huge losses because of dull market prices.
Due to this fact, unsold produce was fed to the cattle.
"But this job changed the situation as they pay for us Tk 2 a lot more than the marketplace price," she said.
Labourers Mohammad Ali and Monoara Khatun said the project offers them stable career for three months at a stretch.
"We are trying to conserve the farmers through this initiative. We will be happy if they reap the benefits of it," explained Md Tohidul Islam, job director of Jagorani Chakra Basis.
The caliber of the cabbage is good, said Md Kazal Bokhtiar, a representative of one of the exporting companies.
"If the quality remains to be the same, we are able to export more items out of this project."
