Staff Reporter :
Deputy Commissioners of Natore and Chuadanga districts have started procuring paddy directly from the farmers.
In Natore, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Shahriaz purchased a total of 16 metric tonnes of paddy at the price determined by the government this year.
DC Shahriaz went to Kafuria in Sadar upazila around 11:00am on Tuesday to buy the paddy, reports our local correspondent.
The government this year fixed procurement rate of the paddy at Tk 1,040 per maund.
Meanwhile, Chuadanga Deputy Commissioner (DC) Gopal Chandra Das along with other government officials joined the farmers in harvesting their paddy from the field in Jibannagar upazila.
With the slogan “Farmers are not alone, we are beside them”, the DC joined the paddy harvesting in the morning.
The DC also procured paddy directly from the farmers in this area.
Together with Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Khandaker Farhad Ahmed and Additional Deputy Commissioner (General) Mohammad Yahiya Khan, the DC started harvesting paddy of land of Jebun Nesa at Peyaratola village.
As the news spread around, Upazila Parishad Chairman Haji Hafizur Rahman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer Md Sirajul Islam, Upazila Parishad Vice-Chairman Abdus Salam Esha, female Vice-Chairman Ayesha Sultana Lucky, Upazila Agriculture Officer Sharmin Akhter, local Union Parishad Chairman Sohrab Hossain Khan and scout members also went to the field and joined the paddy harvesting.
Jebun Nesa said she could not hire labourers for harvesting paddy for want of money. “When I along with my son Shah Alam started harvesting paddy in the morning, the DC along with the officials joined us.”
After the harvesting work, the DC started procuring paddy directly from farmers visiting their houses.
A farmer has to pay around Tk 800 to a labourer amid low price of paddy, making the situation worse for them.
