UNB , Jhalakati :
Boro farmers in the district had a bumper yield this year but falling prices have wiped the smile off their faces.
A favourable weather, coupled with the lack of insect attack and rain in February and March helped the rice grow abundantly.
From the high-yielding variety, farmers got about five to six tonnes of paddy from each hectare. The amount was double for the super hybrid variety.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), this year Jhalakathi farmers brought 9,850 hectares of land under Boro cultivation. Different varieties, including super hybrid SL-8, BRI-28-29, BRI 47 and BINA-10, have been cultivated.
The high-yielding variety was cultivated on 9,550 hectares while the hybrid variety on 290 hectares and the local variety on 10 hectares.
The buoyant production, however, has pushed down the prices.
Farmers say producing one maund (about 37kg) of paddy cost them about Tk 450. Each maund is fetching only Tk 400.
“I didn’t sell my paddy seeing the low price. I’ll wait until the price rises a little,” says Dulal Hawladar from Sadar upazila.
With nearly 40 percent paddy already harvested, farmers are at a loss. They have demanded that the price be raised to Tk 700-800 per maund.
Although the government has announced to procure paddy at Tk 28 per kg, it is yet to start the drive.
Inaction from the authorities concerned has forced farmers to threaten to boycott Boro cultivation.
Yunus Majhi, a farmer from Nalchiti upazila, says he is counting losses and that it will be very hard, if not impossible, for him to continue cultivating Boro paddy.
Fazlul Haq, deputy director of DAE, says they are doing their best to make sure that the farmers get fair prices.
But so far, there has been no visible change.
Boro farmers in the district had a bumper yield this year but falling prices have wiped the smile off their faces.
A favourable weather, coupled with the lack of insect attack and rain in February and March helped the rice grow abundantly.
From the high-yielding variety, farmers got about five to six tonnes of paddy from each hectare. The amount was double for the super hybrid variety.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), this year Jhalakathi farmers brought 9,850 hectares of land under Boro cultivation. Different varieties, including super hybrid SL-8, BRI-28-29, BRI 47 and BINA-10, have been cultivated.
The high-yielding variety was cultivated on 9,550 hectares while the hybrid variety on 290 hectares and the local variety on 10 hectares.
The buoyant production, however, has pushed down the prices.
Farmers say producing one maund (about 37kg) of paddy cost them about Tk 450. Each maund is fetching only Tk 400.
“I didn’t sell my paddy seeing the low price. I’ll wait until the price rises a little,” says Dulal Hawladar from Sadar upazila.
With nearly 40 percent paddy already harvested, farmers are at a loss. They have demanded that the price be raised to Tk 700-800 per maund.
Although the government has announced to procure paddy at Tk 28 per kg, it is yet to start the drive.
Inaction from the authorities concerned has forced farmers to threaten to boycott Boro cultivation.
Yunus Majhi, a farmer from Nalchiti upazila, says he is counting losses and that it will be very hard, if not impossible, for him to continue cultivating Boro paddy.
Fazlul Haq, deputy director of DAE, says they are doing their best to make sure that the farmers get fair prices.
But so far, there has been no visible change.
