Cherry tomato cheers a grower in Bangladesh
Growing cherry tomato is a profitable activity for this Bangladeshi farmer.
A successful summer tomato grower, Mohamed Mohiuddin Fakir, is now a pioneer of cherry tomato production in Ghoradoho village, Faridpur district, Bangladesh. Mr. Mohiuddin and his wife, son and daughter-in-law cultivate rice and a few vegetables such as onion, winter tomato, summer tomato, cabbage, cauliflower and cucumber in an 80 m2 garden in front of their home.
Mr. Mohiuddin participated in summer tomato training offered by AVRDC through the USAID Horticulture Project, where he learned grafting, rain shelter construction and other techniques for cultivating tomato during the hot, wet season. Personnel from project partners AVRDC and the International Potato Center (CIP) appreciated his commitment and skill, and encouraged him to try growing cherry tomato as well. With a sample of ‘BARI Tomato 11’ seed from the project, he planted about 800 m2 surrounding his home with cherry tomato. Project staff visited his field and provided technical assistance during the growing season.
Yields were high (49.5 ton/hectare) and Mr. Mohiuddin was delighted—until it was time to sell the produce. Cherry tomato is a new crop for Bangladesh, and many consumers unfamiliar with the small fruits thought they came from old or diseased tomato plants. Initially, Mr. Mohiuddin and other producers were able to get only 10 to 15 TK per kilogram (USD 1 = 77.5 TK) for their cherry tomatoes.
Sagir, Mr. Mohiuddin’s son, harvests cherry tomato from the family’s 800-square-meter field.
To remedy the situation, project staff met with representatives from supermarkets and malls in Dhaka to introduce them to the new vegetable. German Butcher, a supermarket, agreed to purchase some cherry tomato, and three others (AGORA, Levender, and CSD) soon followed. From September 2014 to May 2015 Mr. Mohiuddin supplied 2.19 tons of cherry tomato to the four supermarkets, with sales of 357,436 TK (USD 4612). His net profit was 107,436 TK (USD 1386) from only 800 m2 land.
He used his profits from producing cherry tomato to invest in other agricultural activities such as seed production and fish culture. He harvested 3 tons of quality rice seed and 22 kilograms of onion seed with a market value of 170,000 TK ($2193).
Mr. Mohiuddin at the cherry tomato display in a Dhaka supermarket. The productive crop has brought many benefits to his family.
Mr. Mohiuddin introduced his family, neighbors, relatives and local leaders to cherry tomato; now he, his family and others are consuming this nutritious vegetable and benefiting from the vitamins and minerals it provides.
Mr. Mohiuddin is planning to grow his next crop of cherry tomato in staggered plantings, to ensure this new moneymaker will produce a steady income over many months.
Brightly colored cherry tomatoes provide vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, manganese, lycopene and other beneficial nutrients to the diet.
