Dohazari vegetable hub picks up steam as winter arrives

A riverside market in the southeastern town of Bangladesh sells more vegetables in the morning hours than most markets in the country sell throughout the day.

Located on the bank of the Sangu River, the vegetable hub in Dohazari town in Chandanaish upazila of Chattogram trades vegetables worth at least Tk50 lakh from 5-10 am every day.

It is mainly a farmers' market and winter is a boom season for business. Braving the foggy cold winter, hundreds of boats loaded with hordes of vegetables rush down the Sangu River to moor at the ghat adjacent to the Dohazari rail station every morning.

Local farmers bring all kinds of winter vegetables such as tomato, cabbage, beans, radish, cauliflower and eggplant to the market, mainly through this waterway.

Wholesale traders from different parts of the country, including the capital, swarm the market for fresh vegetables at reasonable prices and head off to their respective destinations. 

All the vegetables that come to this market are produced on the lands along the Sangu River and on the riverine sand and silt landmasses, known as chars. 

Visiting the Dohazari market recently, The Business Standard (TBS) saw that traders even start bargaining with farmers even before the vegetables were unloaded from boats. Farmers also make a good bargain for their hard-earned crops but often fail to get the expected value. 

Trading in the famous Dohazari market, however, does not take much time. Most buyers complete purchases quickly and leave the area by 7-8 am loading vegetables in pickups or trucks. 

After 10 am, the entire market becomes empty after farmers head home.

Farmer Jan-e-Alam, who came to the market with his produced cauliflower, told TBS, "I grow seasonal vegetables throughout the year. It is my livelihood and my family depends on it. This time I cultivated about 10,000 cauliflowers on two acres of land which cost me about Tk80,000."

"I had to borrow some of the invested money. It takes a lot of hard work to grow vegetables and I expect to earn Tk2-2.5 lakh by selling the cauliflowers," he added.

Mainly, it is the market for wholesalers but retail sale is also available here. A 100kg bag of radish costs Tk1,000-1,500, and a 100kg bag of eggplant Tk2,500-3,000 in the market. 

On the other hand, a kilogram of beans costs Tk60-80, sponge gourd Tk25-30, pumpkin Tk20-25, gourd Tk20-25, bitter melon Tk25-30, cucumber Tk20-25.

The banks of Sangu River are filled with greens

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension data, a diverse array of vegetables is cultivated on the lands along the banks of the Sangu River throughout the year.

Chandanaish Upazila Agriculture Officer Smriti Rani Sarker told TBS, "Winter vegetables have been cultivated in 2,045 hectares of land in Chandnaish this winter season. There is a huge demand for vegetables grown in this region as they are incomparable in taste."

The reason behind the high demand is that these vegetables are harvested from the land the day before for sale in the Dohazari market. Many farmers do not even have to take their products into the market and complete the sales directly from the land.

Haji Abdul Malek, a local farmer, said, "We have been growing vegetables on the banks of the Sangu River for generations. Being a riverside area, the production of vegetables is high here. As road and river connections are good, wholesalers buy these vegetables directly from the land. But many people also go to the market."

Ahmad Ali, a vegetable grower of Dohazari, said, "The weather is good and I am cultivating several types of vegetables this season including radishes and beans on three acres of land."

"Vegetable sales are booming now. I earn the whole year's expenses including the rent for that farmland by selling winter vegetables," he added.

Vegetable cultivation expands in the south

The southern part of Chattogram has always been a fertile ground for agriculture with rivers like Karnaphuli, Sangu, and Murari. But vegetable cultivation in the region is increasing for the last few years amid high demand. For locals, it has become the main source of livelihood now.

According to the Chattogram Agricultural Extension office, around 11,240 tonnes of winter vegetables have been grown in Boalkhali, 13,909 tonnes in Patiya, 11,015 tonnes in Anwara, 44,637 tonnes in Chandanaish, 21,821 tonnes in Lohagora, 15,914 tonnes in Satkania, and 47,557 tonnes in Banshkhali upazilas of Chattogram in 2021-22. 

A huge amount of vegetables is also cultivated in these areas in summer also.

Price mismatch due to lack of storage

The Dohazari market makes Tk50 lakh worth of vegetables a day but farmers are not getting fair prices due to a lack of storage facilities there. Many farmers sell vegetables at half the prices or throw away the products if they cannot be sold within the stipulated time.

The distance from Lalia Char to Dohazari Bazar is at least two kilometres along the river and a farmer has to spend Tk390 for bringing 100kg of radish to the market as transport and labour costs. But the farmer will earn only Tk1,000 by selling the radish in the market. 

Local farmer Mohammad Osman said, "About 50,000 people are involved in vegetable cultivation in this region. But farmers are neglected in trade and not getting the price they deserve for their produces."

"They are forced to sell vegetables at low prices due to a lack of storage facilities. If the administration does not take initiative, many farmers will lose interest in vegetable cultivation in the near future," he added.

When asked about this, the former Deputy Commissioner of Chattogram Mominur Rahman said, "The higher authorities have been informed via letter for the construction of a cold storage facility in South Chattogram. I hope that the new deputy commissioner will construct the storage urged by many local farmers."