Government should procure more crops from farmers

Amid growing concerns over fallen prices of paddy and other grains at the farmers’ end, speakers at a seminar yesterday called upon the government to procure at least 30 percent crops, especially paddy, directly from growers at fair prices.

The government should issue “agriculture cards” to farmers, make a price list of crops, and build sufficient storage facilities -- including cold storages -- across the country to facilitate farmers, they said.

Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) and Bangladesh Resource Centre for Indigenous Knowledge (Barcik) jointly arranged the seminar on “Fair price of paddy and agricultural crop: concerns and suggestions” at the capital’s Jatiya Press Club.

At present, the government procures less than 10 percent of the total rice or paddy produced in the country, claimed Poba Chairman Abu Naser Khan.

If the amount was 30 to 40 percent, the government could have had higher stock, he said, adding that the government currently has the capacity of stocking about 30 lakh metric tonnes of rice.

“With higher procurement the government could manage the market mechanism. This could also help reduce the influence of syndicates,” he said.

“If we are to save Bangladesh, we must save farmers and growers,” he added.

Alleging that the current National Agriculture Policy is not farmer-friendly, veteran politician Pankaj Bhattacharya said developed countries like the US and Canada provide risk and loss coverage to farmers, and similar incentives should be launched in Bangladesh.

Farmers should be able to sell as much crop as possible to avoid loss, he said, adding that knowledge about crops’ quality maintenance should also be generated among farmers.

Amid the crisis faced by the farmers, some government officials and ruling party men were “staging drama” in the name of helping them, claimed Azharul Islam, vice president of Bangladesh Krishok Samiti.

They were seen busy with “photo sessions” instead of dealing with the farmers’ problems, he alleged.

Farmers need to unite and wage a tough movement to overcome their problems, said Bangladesh Krishok League’s central committee vice president Chhobi Biswas.