Boro farmers frown as rice prices fall
Farmers may again suffer huge loss from Boro cultivation because of downtrend in rice price, which comes as a 'stronger blow' to the peasants who also incurred a huge loss in potato and wheat cultivation in winter season.
Rice price, which is now at Tk 16-17 per kg in the major rice producing districts, may go down to Tk 13-14 when Boro harvesting will start in full swing after two to three weeks, farmers and officials concerned said.
Un-husked rice is being sold at Tk 10.50-11.50 per kg (Tk 420-450 per maund) in northern districts while newly harvested un-husked Boro rice is being sold below Tk 400 per maund, farmers from Naogaon, Dinajpur, Lalmonirhat districts said.
The agriculture ministry official sources said the production cost for Boro will be much higher than that of Aman and the existing price of rice. Last Aman season, production cost of un-husked rice was Tk 13-14 per kg.
Farmers will face loss if they have to sell un-husked rice below Tk 520 per maund, agronomists said.
But farmers in Naogaon who started Boro harvesting is selling un-husked rice below at Tk 400 a mound, Mohammad Mobarak, a farmer from Manda upazila of Naogaon, told The Daily Star over phone.
“We are very concerned over the downturn of rice price. This season we cultivated more Boro as we got good price last year. But if we fail to make profit from Boro cultivation, we will go for less production next season,” said Mohammad Mobarak who cultivated Boro on six hectares of land.
"Falling price is good for consumers but dangerous for the farmers," an agronomist said.
The agronomists suggested immediate announcement of rice procurement price for ensuring farmers' profits and a strong food stock.
The government should look into the issue of rice price very seriously as the farmers had incurred loss from potato cultivation and got lower prices for wheat, said Uttam Deb, research director of Centre for Policy Dialogue.
Agronomists said though the government lowered the prices of fertiliser by almost 50 percent, Boro production cost is more this season compared to last years because of increase in prices of other inputs like seeds, pesticides, irrigation and labour cost.
Despite lowering diesel price by Tk 2 per litre, farmers had to buy per litre of diesel at Tk 44 this season, which was Tk 40 last year. Besides, it rained four occasions during last Boro season, but this season there was almost no rain. The urea price was Tk 6-7 a kg then while it is Tk 12 per kg this season, Uttam Deb said.
“For the sake of farmers, unhusked rice should be not be in anyway less than Tk 500 a maund while price of rice should be Tk 20-25,” he said.
Abu Sayem, a farmer in Pirganj, told our Dinajpur correspondent that most of the farmers incurred a huge loss in potato cultivation due to bad weather and leaf blight disease. They also had to sell wheat at lower price than the production cost in winter season.
A food ministry official said production cost of per kg wheat this season was Tk 22, but the government is procuring it at Tk 16. Farmers sold wheat at Tk 13-14 a kg too.
Dr Shahidul Islam, national consultant of Food and Agriculture Organisation in Dhaka, said there is a trend that farmers swiftly move to other crops if they face losses in a crop in a season.
“As rice is very crucial crop here, the government should not take any risk. It must announce rice procurement price so that farmers get at least 10 percent benefit and build a good stock, even by renting private warehouses,” Shahidul, former director of DAE, told The Daily Star.
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