No cold storage for vegetables in Sylhet

• Farmers say lack of storage threatens agricultural revolution

 Faisal Amin

Vegetable production is rising in Sylhet. Farmers have taken to growing seasonal crops on land once left fallow. But the market and storage systems for these crops remain weak. Cold storage or other modern preservation facilities are now urgently needed. If farmers can protect their harvest and reach proper markets, an agricultural revolution in Sylhet is not out of reach.

Sources say favorable weather and modern farming techniques have pushed vegetable output in Sylhet to record levels this season. Yet without enough cold storage in the public or private sector, a large share of that harvest simply rots. The region has no major government run cold storage for potatoes or other common vegetables. Some privately owned cold storage facilities exist, but they mostly store potatoes. Specialized multipurpose cold storage for perishable items like tomatoes, gourds and leafy greens is almost nonexistent.

Without storage, farmers are forced to sell their produce cheaply the day after bringing it to market. Middlemen and wholesalers take advantage of this and buy vegetables at throwaway prices. Even with a good harvest early in the season, farmers end up selling at low prices for lack of storage. Many times they cannot even recover their production costs, which pushes them into debt. This discourages farmers from growing vegetables, and some turn to other sectors for investment instead.

Locals say vegetable production is rising across parts of Sylhet, particularly among farmers in Gowainghat, Companiganj, Jaintapur, Kanaighat and South Surma, who grow a range of winter and summer vegetables. But storage capacity has not kept pace with production, forcing farmers to sell at low prices during the season. In many cases, the harvest spoils before it even reaches the market.

Farmers say the vegetable season brings a large volume of produce to market all at once, pushing supply up and prices down. Without storage, they are forced to sell at these low prices anyway, making it hard to recover costs. Later in the season, when prices for the same vegetables rise, farmers are unable to benefit because they have nothing left in stock.

Many farmers in South Surma upazila say that even as farmland and vegetable output grow in the region, adequate modern storage remains missing. This forces them to rush produce to market right after harvest. When transport to distant markets takes too long, a portion of the perishable vegetables spoils, affecting both farmers and consumers.

Farmers say that setting up small “mini cold storage” units in remote farming areas could change the situation considerably. If farmers could store vegetables for a few days instead of selling immediately after harvest, they could sell based on market conditions. This would also reduce post harvest waste and raise farmer incomes.

The Department of Agricultural Extension has launched an initiative to set up mini cold storage units nationwide under its climate resilient agriculture project. As part of this, work on a mini cold storage unit in Gowainghat is underway, which is expected to bring real benefits to local farmers.

Farmers say building cold storage alone will not be enough. Proper management, electricity supply, storage costs farmers can afford, and an effective marketing system for the stored produce are all needed too. They add that if storage facilities are run through farmer cooperatives or local farmer organizations, the benefits could reach even more farmers.

Agriculture officials say storage facilities are a crucial part of the farming system. Without proper post harvest management alongside higher output, farmers cannot get the economic benefit they deserve. For perishable vegetables especially, quick storage and marketing systems can cut waste while keeping market supply balanced.

Farmers hope that building storage infrastructure alongside boosting production will open new possibilities for Sylhet’s agricultural economy. It is not enough to raise output in the field. Farmers must also be guaranteed a way to preserve their harvest. Only then will they get fair prices and stay motivated to grow more vegetables.

Mr. Saidur Rahman, a President’s Award winning farmer from Sylhet, has produced vermicompost fertilizer and mushrooms along with various other farm products for the past 40 years. Throughout this time, he has repeatedly demanded a mini cold storage facility for vegetable and tissue culture mushroom production, but his demand has gone unanswered to this day.

He said he reached out to the director of the mini cold storage project but received no response. He appealed to the relevant authorities to set up a mini cold storage facility for vegetables and other farm produce grown by farmers in the South Surma area. He said that once vegetable storage is secured, an agricultural revolution in Sylhet will only be a matter of time, bringing economic growth, employment and stronger ties with the expatriate community through exports.

Mr. Gautam Pal, Agriculture Officer of South Surma upazila, said mini cold storage is essential for protecting farm exports and improving farmers’ financial condition. He said Sylhet’s famous Gowalgadda bean in particular needs proper storage to reach international markets. He called on the authorities to move forward with setting up mini cold storage to make this cash crop from South Surma more marketable and widely available.

Mr. Raihan Parvez Rony, Agriculture Officer of Gowainghat upazila, said setting up mini cold storage in Gowainghat is a timely step toward modernizing grassroots farming and ensuring fair prices for farmers’ produce. He said the facility will help farmers in Joynagar and surrounding areas protect their perishable vegetables and fruits from spoiling, letting them sell at the right time based on market prices and get fair value for their crops. He called it a milestone that will ease the storage related hardship local farmers have faced for years and ensure their labor is properly rewarded.

Mr. Md. Shamsuzzaman, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Sylhet, said the current government is committed to farmers’ welfare. He said work on a mini cold storage unit in Gowainghat is already underway to preserve Sylhet’s vegetable harvest, calling it the region’s first pilot project of its kind. He said similar mini cold storage units will be set up in other upazilas based on local farmers’ demand.

Ms. Julia Jesmin Mili, Deputy Director of the Department of Agricultural Marketing in Sylhet, said setting up cold storage is extremely important for properly preserving Sylhet’s farm produce. She said the current government has taken an initiative to build packaging houses to support the export of agricultural products abroad.