Goalgadda beans go abroad

Photo : Prothom Alo
Photo : Prothom Alo

Meeting consumers’ demand in domestic market, a locally grown breed of bean, Goalgadda, is now being exported abroad. These home-grown beans are produced in Golapganj upazila of Sylhet.

The Prothom Alo correspondent visited the wholesale market of the beans in Purakayastha Bazar recently. Farmers bring at least 300 to 400 kilogrammes of beans each by pushcart every morning. Wholesale buyers buy the vegetables from the farmers and sell them to various domestic markets by truck.

The breed of the bean is mostly grown in Dhakadakshin and Lakshanabanda union of Golapganj upazila. A number of farmers and wholesale buyers said the farmers produce Goalgadda beans in four to five bighas of land every year. Nearly 400 to 600 kilograms of beans are plucked for sale every week. Nearly 60 to 70 wholesale buyers buy the beans and send them to different places. The beans are sold for Tk 45 to 50 at local markets in Sylhet.

A farmer Hasanur Rahman of Dhakadakshin grew the beans in six bighas of land. He brought 800 kilogrammes of beans to the Purakayastha Bazar on Wednesday.

“We sold Goalgadda beans for Tk 120 per kg one a half months ago. It is now being sold at Tk 25-30 per kg. I have been cultivating beans for a long time as of now. I increased the amount of land this year that brought a huge luck,” said Hasanur to Prothom Alo.

According to the upazila agriculture office, at least 970 hectare lands were used to grow this breed of beans this year when it was 910 hectares of land last year. More than 200 farmers are involved in bean farming. Among them, 80 farmers have contracts with an exporting organisation Vegetable and Foods Export in Dhaka. Nearly 200 kilogrammes of beans are exported every day through the company.

Goalgadda beans are very popular in the area for its taste. There is a huge demand of the species of beans in local markets all over the country.

Wholesale buyer Abdul Haque said, every buyer purchases at least two to three tonnes of beans every day and send them to various local markets.

Upazila agriculture officer Md Khairul Amin said, being a hillock area, the soil of Dhakadakshin and Lakshanabanda union area is suitable for growing Goalgadda beans.

“We are providing the local farmers with necessary trainings and encouraging them to produce organic vegetables to boost the exports,” the agriculture officer said.