Kamruzzaman Bablu :
The farmers of the country have achieved record Boro production, about 1.90 crore metric tonnes, this season, but they fear that they will not be able to get back even production cost, even though the government will procure seven lakh tonnes of paddy and six lakh tonnes of rice.
The government will buy Boro paddy at Tk 750 to Tk 800 per maund, which is less than by Tk 85 than the production cost.
Food Minister Md Kamrul Islam said that the government would buy 700,000 tonnes of paddy and 600,000 tonnes of rice from the farmers.
“We have fixed the procurement rate, considering the interests of the farmers,” said the Food Minister last month. But the farmers could not be happy with the declaration, as the total production of Boro paddy has been around 19 million tonnes in this season.
According to the Food Ministry sources, production cost of paddy is Tk 20.70 per kg, which means the farmers spent around Tk 773
to produce one maund of paddy. But they are now selling at Tk 500-600 per maund, transpiring that the farmers will suffer a loss of Tk 100 to Tk 200 per maund.
“The current price may fall further when the harvest will go in full swing,” said Al Amin Khan, a farmer from the Dinajpur district, one of the highest Boro paddy producing regions of the country. The price varies from Tk 500-600 based on moisture content in Naogaon, Rangpur and Nilphamari districts of northern belt, and in Khulna region,
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer from Alaipur village in Rupsha Upazila (Khulna) told the New Nation that he had produced Boro paddy on one bigha of land and expects about 30 maunds of paddy and sale price whereof would be about Tk 24 thousand at the current rate. If it is, he will suffer because the production cost is higher than the sale price.
Jalal Molla, another farmer from the same Upazila said, he got 40 maunds of paddy, but he has not sold the product lest he bears loss.
About the reason of lower price, paddy traders say that the newly harvested paddy is wet and after drying its weigh decreases. Moreover, the wholesalers have to pay higher carrying cost, crushing and electricity charge this year and as such the price of paddy would be less this year, according to traders.
Iqramul Haque, a trader said that they were not creating any syndicate and they are not depriving farmers. The reasons of low price is that many of farmers are selling paddy in advance, as they need money badly to maintain families.
“The loss of the farmers can be reduced if the government procures paddy and rice directly from the farmers at the given rate,” said Dr Quazi Shahabuddin, Former Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
“But it does not happen generally,” he said. Generally, the millers buy paddy from the farmers and sell rice to the government and in the local market.
So terming the government’s decision of procuring more paddy in this season wise, it should buy more paddy than rice from the farmers, said Shahabuddin. “When the government procures more rice, it means that the millers will be benefited,” he said.
In the past, the government used to buy around 10-12 lakh tonnes of paddy every year. Last year, the government procured one million tonnes of rice at Tk 32 per kg and 1,00,000 tonnes of paddy at Tk 22 from the local market during the Boro season, against the production cost of Tk 27.50 and Tk 20 respectively for paddy and rice.
The farmers of the country have achieved record Boro production, about 1.90 crore metric tonnes, this season, but they fear that they will not be able to get back even production cost, even though the government will procure seven lakh tonnes of paddy and six lakh tonnes of rice.
The government will buy Boro paddy at Tk 750 to Tk 800 per maund, which is less than by Tk 85 than the production cost.
Food Minister Md Kamrul Islam said that the government would buy 700,000 tonnes of paddy and 600,000 tonnes of rice from the farmers.
“We have fixed the procurement rate, considering the interests of the farmers,” said the Food Minister last month. But the farmers could not be happy with the declaration, as the total production of Boro paddy has been around 19 million tonnes in this season.
According to the Food Ministry sources, production cost of paddy is Tk 20.70 per kg, which means the farmers spent around Tk 773
to produce one maund of paddy. But they are now selling at Tk 500-600 per maund, transpiring that the farmers will suffer a loss of Tk 100 to Tk 200 per maund.
“The current price may fall further when the harvest will go in full swing,” said Al Amin Khan, a farmer from the Dinajpur district, one of the highest Boro paddy producing regions of the country. The price varies from Tk 500-600 based on moisture content in Naogaon, Rangpur and Nilphamari districts of northern belt, and in Khulna region,
Rafiqul Islam, a farmer from Alaipur village in Rupsha Upazila (Khulna) told the New Nation that he had produced Boro paddy on one bigha of land and expects about 30 maunds of paddy and sale price whereof would be about Tk 24 thousand at the current rate. If it is, he will suffer because the production cost is higher than the sale price.
Jalal Molla, another farmer from the same Upazila said, he got 40 maunds of paddy, but he has not sold the product lest he bears loss.
About the reason of lower price, paddy traders say that the newly harvested paddy is wet and after drying its weigh decreases. Moreover, the wholesalers have to pay higher carrying cost, crushing and electricity charge this year and as such the price of paddy would be less this year, according to traders.
Iqramul Haque, a trader said that they were not creating any syndicate and they are not depriving farmers. The reasons of low price is that many of farmers are selling paddy in advance, as they need money badly to maintain families.
“The loss of the farmers can be reduced if the government procures paddy and rice directly from the farmers at the given rate,” said Dr Quazi Shahabuddin, Former Director General of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
“But it does not happen generally,” he said. Generally, the millers buy paddy from the farmers and sell rice to the government and in the local market.
So terming the government’s decision of procuring more paddy in this season wise, it should buy more paddy than rice from the farmers, said Shahabuddin. “When the government procures more rice, it means that the millers will be benefited,” he said.
In the past, the government used to buy around 10-12 lakh tonnes of paddy every year. Last year, the government procured one million tonnes of rice at Tk 32 per kg and 1,00,000 tonnes of paddy at Tk 22 from the local market during the Boro season, against the production cost of Tk 27.50 and Tk 20 respectively for paddy and rice.
