Early rains, hailstorms push strawberry farmers into losses
Jewel Hossain, a farmer from Joypurhat Sadar upazila, said he cultivated strawberries on one acre this year but did not see profits like in previous seasons
Strawberry farmers across several regions have suffered significant losses after unseasonal rain, nor'westers and hailstorms in March forced early harvesting and reduced prices.
Farmers said that although nearly a month remains in the harvesting season, adverse weather has damaged flowers and fruits, compelling them to collect immature strawberries. As a result, prices at the farm level have dropped sharply.
Strawberries are currently being sold at Tk250 to Tk350 per kg in Dhaka markets such as Badda and Karwan Bazar. Higher-quality produce is selling for over Tk400, while smaller and immature fruits are priced lower. Just two weeks ago, prices fell to as low as Tk200 in some cases.
According to farmers, cultivation typically begins between late October and November, with harvesting continuing from January to mid-April. However, rainfall and storms from the second week of March disrupted the cycle this year.
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At the start of the season, strawberries were sold at Tk600 to Tk800 per kg at the farm level. By March, prices dropped to around Tk150 due to increased supply of lower-quality produce.
Saiful Islam, a farmer from Bogura Sadar upazila, said he incurred losses of around Tk50,000 from cultivating strawberries on 25 decimals of land.
"There would have been no loss if I could harvest around mid-April, but the rain damaged both flowers and fruits," he said.
Jewel Hossain, a farmer from Joypurhat Sadar upazila, said he cultivated strawberries on one acre this year but did not see profits like in previous seasons.
"At the end of the season, I expanded cultivation to 16 acres, but I could only harvest for four to five days," he said, adding that prices were high initially but dropped as supply increased.
Farmers also cited weak transportation and lack of preservation facilities as major challenges. As strawberries are highly perishable, delays in reaching markets increase losses.
Md Mehedi Masud, a former project director at the Department of Agricultural Extension, said unpredictable weather makes strawberry cultivation risky in Bangladesh.
"If the fruit does not reach consumers within five to seven hours of harvesting, quality deteriorates," he said, noting the absence of an effective cold chain.
He stressed the need to develop processing industries, such as for jams and jellies, to reduce losses.
Despite the challenges, strawberry production has been increasing. Output rose from 210 tonnes in FY2022-23 to 358 tonnes in FY2023-24 and reached 435 tonnes in FY2024-25. Cultivated land also expanded from 22 acres to 130 acres over the same period.
Cooperative model shows potential
A cooperative initiative in Joypurhat has demonstrated a more sustainable approach to strawberry farming.
Daahuk – a research and community development organisation, in collaboration with the Rural Development Academy in Bogura, has been working with 30 farmers over the past two years.
Founder Magfi Reza Siddique said the model connects farmers directly with buyers and ensures standardised production.
He said strawberries can be transported to Dhaka within five hours under this system, reducing spoilage and helping farmers secure better prices.
Experts said expanding such cooperative models, along with improving supply chains and developing processing industries, could help make strawberry cultivation more sustainable.
