In the once-barren northern chars of Rangpur, maize has become a lucrative cash crop. But low market prices this year have left farmers disappointed despite expanded cultivation.

Storms and heavy rain last month damaged a range of crops, including maize. For maize farmers, it was a cruel blow, as many had turned to the cereal after repeated losses from low potato prices.

In 1991, when Abul Kasem, a farmer of Hatibandha upazila in Lalmonirhat, a northwest bordering district, decided to cultivate maize, he was one of the few growers in his area.