Farmers block road demanding fair price of boro paddy

Several hundred farmers of Gaibandha Sadar upazila yesterday blocked D B road, demanding fair price of boro paddy. 

Organised by the Sadar upazila unit of Bangladesh Krishak Samity, the farmers brought out a procession in the town and then blocked the road with bags of paddy. 

Addressing the rally on the road, poor and marginal farmers said they are being compelled to sell their paddy to middlemen at throwaway price. 

The market price of paddy has come down to Tk 360 to Tk 400, which is not enough to recover production cost, they said.

"The production cost has increased since we have to buy agriculture inputs at higher rates, but we are not getting fair price for paddy," they said.

They also appealed to the government to procure paddy directly from the growers, so that the farmers gets fair price for the crop, and demanded opening of paddy procurement centre at union level.