No one is standing by the farmers

Conversations with farmers revealed that people involved in the project had initially told them that if any problems arose with the pollinate houses within five years, the government would repair them. Later, they were told the period was three years. In the end, however, the farmers found themselves without anyone to turn to after just one year.

S M Hasanuzzaman, additional director of the Department of Agricultural Extension, is serving as project director of the ‘Agricultural Development in Rajshahi Division through the Expansion of Modern Technology’ project. Responding to the farmers’ complaints, he said the farmers were unwilling to work hard and did not follow the advice given to them. That was why they had failed, he said.

Regarding the various complaints made by the farmers, Hasanuzzaman said, “Our farmers are all impatient. No one was forced to take a pollinate house. It is a sustainable technology for growing grapes. We are now advising the farmers to grow grapes.”

Asked why farmers should grow grapes inside the houses when grapes can also be grown outdoors, Hasanuzzaman said, “They grow better inside than outside.” Regarding training for the farmers, he said experts in the country had been engaged to provide training. “Gerberas are doing very well. Those who are growing them are making profits,” he said.

Asked how long the maintenance period was, project director Hasanuzzaman said the project was for five years. The contractor would provide free service for one year, he said, while torn polythene would be repaired for three years.

The pollinate house of Sarwar Hossain, a farmer from Darusha village in Paba upazila of Rajshahi, was damaged in a storm. He says it would cost Tk 70,000–80,000 to repair.

Claiming that he had lost nearly Tk 500,000 while trying to grow crops, he said the low quality of the pollinate house made it impossible to control the temperature. Crops also failed to grow properly. In this situation, he said, he could not afford to spend more money repairing the house.

Prothom Alo spoke to Ahsanul Haque, a professor at the Faculty of Agriculture of Gazipur Agricultural University, about the project. He said cultivation in pollinate or greenhouse structures is common in cold countries to protect crops from low temperatures.

In Bangladesh, however, such houses must be designed to maintain temperature, humidity and air circulation at levels suitable for the crops being grown. There should also be provisions to regulate temperature according to the requirements of individual crops.

But, he said, Bangladesh’s pollinate houses have essentially the same arrangements for all crops. That, he believes, is why the project is failing.