Farmers' hope begin to fade as Boro sells at low price
L-R: Boro harvest still goes on in some places of Mymensingh. But farmers are worried whether they would get a fair price of their produce. The photo was taken from Char Anandipur area of the district a few days ago. A shop full of paddy sacks at Shambhuganj Bazar in Sadar upazila of Mymensingh. The traders also do not have enough money or space now to store Boro crops.Photo: STAR
Smiles of farmers harvesting a bumper Boro crop here are fading fast as they are not getting fair prices for their produce. As the food department is yet to start food procurement many small and marginal farmers are not getting due prices. Because they have to sell paddy immediately after the harvest to recoup farming costs and repay debts. District Food Controller Mohammad Hanif said, "We are still waiting for directives from the authorities concerned to buy Boro from the farmers." While visiting local markets, it was found that coarse paddy is being sold at Tk 500-520 per maund while the fine variety at Tk 680-700. The market price for the paddy is at least Tk 150-200 less than last year for all varieties, farmers said. "A labourer has to be paid Tk 400 per day to reap paddy while the harvest needs other processing too to make it ready for marketing. If proper price is not fixed, farmers do not get profit from a bumper production," said Farhad Hossain, a farmer at village Char Anandipur in Sadar upazila. Khokon, a young farmer of village Raghabpur in Sadar upazila said, "I sold 52 maunds of coarse paddy at Shambhuganj bazar at Tk 510 per maund. The price is disappointing compared to my production cost." Abul Hashim, a sharecropper of village Balikhan in Phulpur upazila said that he cultivated Boro on 50 decimals of land. "The production was good but I had to sell the paddy at Tk 500-530 just after harvest to realise the production cost," he said. "Like me, other farmers are also facing similar troubles due to low price of Boro and high cost of harvest," he added. "Many traders having limited cash are also in deep crisis for lack of buyers. Both the farmers and traders are suffering," said Ranjit Chandra Sarker, a rice trader at Shambhuganj bazar. Ranjit said most businessmen did not have enough space to stock paddy for a longer period. "Only big businessmen will profit from this bumper harvest," he said. "Farmers will have no more paddy to sell when the government begins purchasing," he observed. According to Mohsin Uddin Khan, director of DAE, cultivation of Boro in 12 upazilas of the district reached 11,00000 metric tons this year, exceeding the targeted 9,98000 tons. "Favourable weather, use of balanced fertilisers and low price of fertilisers compared to earlier years led to the bumper harvest," he said. A DAE official requesting anonymity remarked "when nature has favoured the farmers with a good harvest, our bureaucratic tangles are depriving them of their due prizes". "Farmers being the main force behind this bumper production should be encouraged with fair price for the better interest of the country's economy which is largely based on agriculture," added the DAE official.
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