Slow wheat procurement drive worries growers
The district saw bumper yield of wheat this year but slow pace in the government's procurement drive has come as a matter of worry for the farmers.
Of the 12 LSD godowns in the district, the wheat procurement centres at Ranishankoil, Haripur and Jadurani LSDs suspended receiving the crop due to lack of space.
The procurement drive was inaugurated on April 1 but practically it began quite a few days later and that too continued at a slow pace, sources said.
The Department of Agriculture Extension had set a target to produce 1,52,477 tonnes of wheat this year at the rate of 2.6 tonnes per hectare. However, the target exceeded much as the average production went up to 3.40 tonnes per hectare with a total output of 1,94,140 tonnes.
The government has set a target to procure 16,221 tonnes of wheat in the district this year with Tk 24 per kg.
On the other hand, each maund (37.32 kg) of wheat sells at Tk 700-Tk 750 in the local markets.
Of the total target only 7,008 tonnes of wheat has been procured till yesterday while the three centres of Ranishankoil, Haripur and Jadurani LSDs stopped procurement due to lack of space, sources said.
Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila Controller of Food Hafizur Rahman said the district has 12 LSD godowns with a capacity to preserve 3900 tonnes of food grains but 4800 tonnes of food have already been preserved there.
Admitting suspension of procurement drive at Ranishankoil, Haripur and Jadurani centres, he said, "The process is on to transfer aman rice to godowns at Santahar in Naogaon district. The procurement at the three centres will restart soon."
The wheat growers of the district are being deprived of its fair price allegedly due to activities of a syndicate of businessmen and slow pace of procurement drive by the government, farmers said.
If the situation continues, the hoarders and traders will be the ultimate beneficiaries of the government's procurement drive as the genuine farmers cannot wait for supplying wheat to the procurement centres, they said.
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