Procurement drive too futile to ensure fair prices of boro
The government's ongoing paddy procurement drive has hardly any impact for the local farmers as the target of 1415 tonnes is too small an amount for the district where paddy is the man crop.
The farmers of the district brought 59,241 hectares of land under Boro cultivation with target to produce a total of 2.8 lakh tonnes of paddy amid suitable weather this year, said Md Omar Ali Shah, a development officer of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Pabna.
But good yield of their main earning source fails to make farmers happy as the market prices remain low, largely due to local rice millers' reluctance to buy it.
"Rice mill owners are the key paddy buyers but most of them are yet to start buying the crop as imported cheap Indian rice has occupied the market,” said Md Kazi Alamgir, a paddy trader of Tebunia market.
Besides, farmers can hardly supply paddy to the government depots directly due to interference by middlemen.
One maund (40 kg) of boro paddy is selling at Tk 500 to Tk 550 at the growers' level, which is not enough to recover even the production cost, growers said, adding that it sold for Tk 750 to Tk 800 last year.
The government kicked off paddy procurement on May 1, offering Tk 32 per kg for rice and Tk 22 per kg for paddy. The drive will continue till August 31, the procurement target being 42,849 tonnes of rice and 1,415 tonnes of paddy," said Md Main Uddin, district controller of food.
Stakeholders, however, said staff at 11 government procurement centres in the district often decline to purchase paddy directly from farmers.
“We cannot sell paddy to the government depots directly as the middlemen and influential traders collect paddy from the farmers for Tk 550 to 600 a maund and then supply it to the depots at government-fixed rate of Tk 880,” said Md Nukul Hossain, a farmer of Jotkolshi village in Pabna Sadar upazila.
A number of middlemen and traders are now collecting paddy from the farmers for low prices to sell it for high prices later, said farmers and traders.
“My paddy cultivation cost per bigha stood at Tk 13 thousand but the average yield of 22 maunds can hardly bring Tk 11 thousand,” said Md Nuruzzaman, a farmer of Kalikapur village in Ishwardi upazila under Pabna district.
“I returned back without selling paddy on last two market days as the price is poor,” said Mohsin Ali, a farmer of Radhakantapur village in Atghoria upazila.
“Import of cheap Indian rice led to price fall of rice and consequent suspension of production in rice mills in the district caused drastic fall of paddy price during the peak boro season. We demand stopping import of Indian rice for the sake of the farmers," he said.
KJM Abdul Awal, DAE officer of Pabna Sadar upazila, said the farmers should preserve paddy for at least two months, instead of rushing to sell the crop at the beginning of harvesting season as it causes price fall.
The suggestion, however, is of very little practical value for most of the farmers who are in dire need of cash money.
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