Farmers count loss as paddy prices fall

Rice sellers at Gorea Haat in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila pass their time mostly doing other works as the market sees only a few customers due to the transport problem amid the countrywide nonstop blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. PHOTO: STAR

The price of recently harvested aman paddy has started falling in the local markets of Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts due to transportation problem amid BNP-sponsored nonstop countrywide blockade from January 5.

Despite bumper yield, especially the share-croppers, marginal and small farmers are counting losses as they have to sell their produces to manage expenses for cultivating boro paddy and robi crops including wheat, potato, maize and groundnut in the ongoing peak cultivation season.

Meanwhile, a section of profit-greedy traders have raised prices of agro-inputs like seeds, fertilizers and pesticides, taking advantage of the frequent blockades, much to the worry of the small-scale farmers.

During a visit to different local markets including Khochabari, Gorea, Bhulli and Farabari Bazar in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila and Boda, Moidandighi and Sakoya hats in Boda upazila of Panchagarh, this correspondent saw the small farmers sold aman paddy for prices lower than that of a week ago.

Osman Ali, 35, a marginal farmer of Shahapara village in Boda upazila, said “Eight days ago, I sold 12 maunds of paddy at Tk730 per maund. But now the price has reduced to Tk 660. Despite low price, we have to sell paddy to manage expenses of potato and maize cultivation.”

The nonstop blockade for over a week has led to fall of aman paddy price by Tk 70-80 per maund, said Anikul Barman, 55, a share-cropper of Moidandighi village in Boda.

“Besides, we have to buy agro-inputs with high price as the trader hiked price on the pretext of supply shortage,” he said.

Taking the opportunity of small farmers' helpless situation and obstruction in carrying goods due to blockade, some local traders are hoarding huge paddy after buying it for low prices, markets sources alleged. 

Kademul Islam, 48, of Gorea village in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila, said the paddy price at Gorea hat is gradually falling as the paddy buyers from other districts are unable to come to the local market due to transportation problem.

Taking advantage of inadequate buyers, several local buyers of Gorea have made a syndicate and they are buying paddy for lower prices, Kademul alleged.  

Md Zaman, a rice mill owner and rice trader of Boda, told this correspondent paddy price has continued decreasing as supply to other districts including Dinajpur, Joypurhat, Bogra, Natore and Dhaka remained virtually suspended due to non-stop blockade.

Local traders are buying lesser amount of paddy from the markets as they can not supply it to outside the district, he said. 

According to sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), farmers of Thakurgaon district had cultivated aman paddy on 1 lakh 28 thousand 435 hectares of land against the target of 1 lakh 20 thousand 995 hectares with a production target of 3 lakh 28 thousand 387 tonnes.

The farmers have produced 3 lakh 88 thousand 151 tonnes.

In Panchagarh, about 95,185 hectares land had been brought under aman cultivation against the target of 94,524 hectares with a production target of 2 lakh 54 thousand 676 tonnes.

The growers have produced 2 lakh 75 thousand 253 tonnes of aman rice.