Why shouldn’t govt buy paddy directly from farmers: HC
The High Court yesterday issued a rule asking the government to explain in four weeks why it should not be directed to purchase paddy and rice directly from farmers, in line with the Domestic Food Grain Procurement Policy 2017.
Secretaries to the ministries of food and agriculture, and director general of directorate general of food have been made respondents to the rule.
The bench of Justice M Enayetur Rahim and Md Khairul Alam came up with the rule following a writ petition by Jatiya Krishak Samity General Secretary Aminul Islam Golap.
In the petition filed on August 18, Golap said the government is supposed to purchase paddy and rice from farmers as per the Domestic Food Grain Procurement Policy.
But it has been procuring those from middlemen including warehouse owners in violation of the policy; therefore, farmers are not getting fair price, he said.
The petitioner said the farmer community is getting no scope and opportunity to sell their paddy/rice at the declared rate. As a result, farmers have been facing irreparable losses.
Because the respondents are not purchasing directly from farmers, third party beneficiaries are taking different unlawful measures to purchase rice and paddy from poor farmers at a lower rate.
The petitioner also served a notice on July 28 in this regard, but the respondents did not respond, he said in the petition.
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