Rangamati, Feb. 20 -- The lush, picturesque hills of Rangamati's Naniarchar upazila, famed for producing the delectable 'Honey Queen' pineapples, are overflowing with an abundant harvest this year.

Instead of rejoicing, farmers find themselves fighting with an unsettling dilemma-an oversupply of fruit but a dwindling market, leaving their golden bounty to wither away in despair.

This season's early harvest, driven by the application of growth hormones, has flooded the markets with ripened pineapples well ahead of their usual cycle.

While these fruits typically grace the markets in the balmy months of May or June, farmers began plucking them as early as January, an unnatural acceleration that now threatens their profitability.

A Harves...