Farmers worried as govt yet to fix boro price
Newly harvested boro paddy, sold at a wholesale market at Fuldighi in Shahjahanpur upazila under Bogra district, being taken to a godown.Photo: STAR
The farmers in northern districts are selling their paddy for prices lower than that of the last boro season as the government is yet to start procuring food crops for 'fair prices'. To recover production cost, most paddy growers are struggling to preserve their produces in their own capacity, waiting for the government's procurement drive. "The government is yet to decide about procurement of food crops whereas in last year, the authorities started the procurement on May 1, aiming to collect 6.61 lakh tonne of boro paddy and 52,000 tonnes of rice," a senior official of the food directorate told over cell phone yesterday. "A high level meeting will be held on May 15 to fix the price and procurement target in this boro season. Most of the food crops including rice will be purchased from food surplus areas of the northern region," said Md Badrul Hasan, director (Procurement). Farmer Shamsul Islam, 30, of Kamargari village in Bogra Sadar upazila, said he sold BR-28 variety of paddy at Tk 700 per 40 kg last year whereas this year he has to sell the same variety and quantity of paddy at Tk 600 in the local market. Md Abu Bakkar Siddique, 52, a wholesaler at Fuldighi market in Shahjahanpur upazila of Bogra district, said he bought a variety of paddy at Tk 700 per 40 kg this year in early stage but now he is buying the same variety at Tk 650 due to shortage of buyers. Zahidul Islam Bhola of Kantunagar village in Chalon Beel area of Natore district said, "I sold hi-breed hira paddy at Tk 450 per 40 kg last year but this year I sold the same item at Tk 400. Most of the farmers in Chalon Beel area have to sell their paddy in prices lower than last year's." "I sold coarse paddy at Tk 500 per 40 kg this season whereas I had sold the same variety and quantity of paddy at Tk 650 last season. I think the main reason of the price fall is that the government is yet to start food crop procurement,” Abdur Rashid Fakir, 60, of Rasombari village in Shahzadpur upazila in Pabna district told over cell phone. Salauddin Mondal Shelly, of Mondial village under Khetlal upazila of Joypurhat district said he has to sell paddy shati at Tk 480 per 40 kg this year but last year it was Tk 600. “I think high production is one of the cases of low price of paddy,” he said. Md Al Amran Sarker Raton, of Kalinzira village under Goraghat upazila in Dinajpur district said he has to sell BR-28 variety of paddy at Tk 620 per 40 kg whereas it was Tk 680 last year. “I got 1.40 tonnes of paddy by cultivating BR-28 variety on my 50 decimal of land which was 1.20 tonne last year,” he said. Local wholesalers are buying BR-28 variety of paddy at Tk 600 per 40 kg at Jatrapur market in Kurigram Sadar upazila. Grower Abdul Zabbar, 56, told that he sold the same variety of paddy at Tk 750 last year. “I have preserved three tonnes of BR-28 paddy and waiting for the government's food crop procurement drive as the market is low now. Hundreds of farmers in Kurigram are also preserving their products with the hope to get fair price when the government's procurement drive starts," he said.
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