Supply disruptions, coupled with a decline in demand caused by a plunge in income of a vast population, have put a severe strain on farmers amid the countrywide lockdown.
Although a number of mushrooming online platforms are making some profit, mango gardeners, poultry farmers, vegetable growers and dairy producers have fallen into a lockdown trap again this year, said insiders.
The hapless cultivators are incurring huge losses, according to them.
Summer fruit growers and traders have been suffering the bite of lockdown this year also since the enforcement of restrictions in March like last year.
Halt in public transport from April has made the situation worst as traditional buyers, mostly paikers (middlemen) were absent from local mango outlets in Chapainawabganj, Rajshahi, Naogaon, Satkhira and Rangpur from March to May, said Omar Farooq Chowdhury Tipu, general secretary of Kansat Mango Araatdar Cooperative Society Limited in Chapainawabganj.
Mango-orchard owners and small-scale traders in Rajshahi region incurred losses on khirshapat (himsagor), lakshmanbhog, gobindabhog and langra varieties as prices dropped to Tk 16-22 a kg in the local market during the May-June period.
Fazli and amrapali growers in Rajshahi, Pabna and Naogaon have also been counting losses amid a fall in prices, Mr Tipu added.
Only 5.0-per cent mango was being marketed online and only 2.0 per cent could be shipped by train to Dhaka, but 90 per cent are usually sold from local markets.
Trading has been very dissatisfactory in the local market this year as sales fall drastically while prices drop by 40-50 per cent.
Farmers in Rangpur region, who produce late-variety haribhanga, are also forced to accept the same fate like that of Rajshahi and Satkhira belts.
Rangpur region was expecting over 60,000 tonnes of mango from 3,400 hectares of commercial orchards, according to the DAE regional office.
Although mango collection was set to start officially from the end of June, farmers started plucking fruits much earlier fearing a further fall in prices.
Haribghanga varieties were selling at Tk 16-25 a kg in the local market in Rangpur, Mithapukur, Badarganj, Saidpur of Nilphamari, Sundarganj of Gaibandha and other northern hubs.
Rangpur Chamber of Commerce and Industry vice-president Manjur Ahmed Azad said most of the seasonal traders refrained from buying orchards fearing losses.
He said orchard owners themselves were marketing their produce while prices fell to Tk 16-20 a kg wholesale causing immense losses to farmers and traders.
He said farmers and traders might incur more than Tk 1.0 billion in losses in Rangpur and Dinajpur regions.
However, accounts of chambers of commerce in Rajshahi, Chapainawabganj, Naogaon, Rangpur, Dinajpur and Satkhira revealed orchard owners and traders were going to witness a loss of Tk 10-12 billion for a drop in sales amid the pandemic.
Bangladesh grows 2.2-million tonnes of mango annually, with Naogaon and Chapainawabganj jointly contributing to 30 per cent, according to the DAE.
It has also a limited export market of only 250 to 1,000 tonnes annually.
Local processors purchase below 50,000 tonnes of mango, with Pran Agro alone procuring 30,000-35,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile, poultry meat and egg producers are also counting losses again this year due to coronavirus.
Demand for broiler chicken and day-old chicks has dropped notably, according to sector insiders.
Bangladesh Poultry Industries Central Council president Mashiur Rahman said broiler chicken production dropped by over 40 per cent while egg by 20 per cent in the past two and half months.
According to him, last year's nightmare has revisited this year as demand declines significantly.
Mr Rahman said the industry witnessed Tk 1.2-million losses during March-December 2020 and the figure of last year's losses might exceed this year's during this second wave of the pandemic.
Poultry farmers should be compensated to sustain growth of the sector, he observed.
According to the council, broiler prices dropped to Tk 100-110 a kg at farm level which was Tk 125-130 three months ago.
Broiler meat was selling at Tk 125-135 a kg in Dhaka.
Dairy farmers are counting huge losses for a plunge in demand amid strict lockdown.
Farmers in Pabna, Natore, Sirajganj, Jashore, Khulna, Narail are counting massive losses as processing companies, households, restaurants and sweetshops reduced purchase by above 60 per cent.
According to Bangladesh Dairy Farmers' Association secretary Md Shah Imran, 1.0-1.1 million litres of milk now remain unsold daily.
He says 0.55 million dairy farms produce 2.2-million litres a day.
Mr Imran said liquid raw milk prices dropped to just Tk 20-25 a litre in the districts against Tk 36-52 depending on fat percentage.
Processors like Milk Vita, Pran, Akij, Aarong and Aftab have also squeezed their purchase more than by 50 per cent, thus hurting the farmers severely, he cited.
Mr Imran says dairy farmers are counting Tk 40 million losses per day for their unsold milk in the milk growing hubs.
On the other hand, summer vegetable growers are also passing a tough time now.
Lockdown has caused a drop in vegetable prices at growers' level but inflated the cost in big cities like Dhaka, Narayanganj and Chattogram, said TM Rashed Khan, asst director at agricultural marketing department.
He said bitter gourd was selling at Tk 22-25 a kg in Bogura and Jashore which was Tk 45-50 a month back.
But the same vegetable now retails at Tk 70-80 a kg in Dhaka city, Mr Khan said.
He says a notable fall in demand both in Dhaka and elsewhere has been causing 45-50 per cent post-harvest loss of veggies which is normally 25-30 per cent.
Prof Dr Md Akteruzzaman, who teaches agricultural economics at Bangladesh Agricultural University, says apart from lockdown, decline in purchasing power of a vast population is the key reason for a drop in demand for such essentials.
He suggested that the government manage smooth supply of farm produce both for farmers and consumers.
It should also incentivise farmers to continue production which is now the priority area for any country combating the pandemic, he said.
tonmoy.wardad@gmail.com