Barishal Correspondent :
Although farmers deprived from getting fair price of cultivated crop, but price of paddy-saplings reached to peak in Barishal region as the monsoon season favourable for planting Aman paddy starts with rain.
After visiting Mahilara paddy-sapling market under Gournadi upazila, the largest and oldest paddy sapling market of the district, on Saturday, it was learnt that due to excessive price farmers failing to collect sufficient amount of paddy saplings for Amon cultivation.
Over five hundred farmers from different upazilas and districts of the region came this market for buying and selling Amon paddy saplings, mostly with local and some with high yielding varieties.
Local variety, like Dudhmona, Boshiara, Kauathuti, Kalijira, Mota, high yielding varieties like BR-11 and IRRI-52, 76, 77 and some hybrid varieties were available in the market.
Abdul Khalek, a farmer of Mahilara, came for buying 15 pon (1 pon=80 bundle) paddy saplings, but he could buy only half of demand due to high price and short supply.
Last year per pon of Amon paddy sapling was sold 200 taka, but this year reached to Tk.400-500 for local and Tk. 500-600 taka for high yielding varieties.
Srabon, (the July 15 -August15) month of Bangla calendar, was the peak-time for cultivation of Amon paddy plantations. But due to delayed monsoon rain and excessive rate of saplings, now it became costly for the farmers, said Sirajul Islam, deputy assistant agriculture officer of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Gournadi Upazila of the district.
Biswajit Baroi, 60, of Batajore village in the upazila, said as he sustained loss by cultivating paddy and so he prepared 60 decimal of his land for planting Amon paddy this year. At least 480 bundles of saplings needed for that, but he could manage to purchase only three hundred bundles of sapling managed due to excessive prices of saplings.
Arab Ali, a paddy-sapling cultivator, said price of Aman paddy sapling reached peak due to shortage of supply and low production of saplings. He came with 200 bundles of Amon paddy saplings and sold almost all at the rate of Tk 500 per bundle.
Ainal Shikdar, another farmer in the market, told two or three weeks ago the price of local varieties saplings were below Tk. 300, but today the market price reached to Tk. 400 to 500 taka.
Jagonnath Baroi, one of sapling farmer of Batajore, said he growing and selling paddy saplings since a decade at different markets of greater Barishal region, but the price this year reached to top.
Rahim Sheikh , one farmer of the area trying to purchase saplings, asked while we became bound to sale one mound paddy for Tk 400-450 against the production cost of Tk 600-650, then how could we survive .
Nazrul Haque Nilu, President, Jatiyo Krishok Samittee Barishal district unit, opined that high price of paddy saplings will increase cultivation cost, although the farmers failing getting fair price of cultivated crops to recover costing.
Although farmers deprived from getting fair price of cultivated crop, but price of paddy-saplings reached to peak in Barishal region as the monsoon season favourable for planting Aman paddy starts with rain.
After visiting Mahilara paddy-sapling market under Gournadi upazila, the largest and oldest paddy sapling market of the district, on Saturday, it was learnt that due to excessive price farmers failing to collect sufficient amount of paddy saplings for Amon cultivation.
Over five hundred farmers from different upazilas and districts of the region came this market for buying and selling Amon paddy saplings, mostly with local and some with high yielding varieties.
Local variety, like Dudhmona, Boshiara, Kauathuti, Kalijira, Mota, high yielding varieties like BR-11 and IRRI-52, 76, 77 and some hybrid varieties were available in the market.
Abdul Khalek, a farmer of Mahilara, came for buying 15 pon (1 pon=80 bundle) paddy saplings, but he could buy only half of demand due to high price and short supply.
Last year per pon of Amon paddy sapling was sold 200 taka, but this year reached to Tk.400-500 for local and Tk. 500-600 taka for high yielding varieties.
Srabon, (the July 15 -August15) month of Bangla calendar, was the peak-time for cultivation of Amon paddy plantations. But due to delayed monsoon rain and excessive rate of saplings, now it became costly for the farmers, said Sirajul Islam, deputy assistant agriculture officer of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Gournadi Upazila of the district.
Biswajit Baroi, 60, of Batajore village in the upazila, said as he sustained loss by cultivating paddy and so he prepared 60 decimal of his land for planting Amon paddy this year. At least 480 bundles of saplings needed for that, but he could manage to purchase only three hundred bundles of sapling managed due to excessive prices of saplings.
Arab Ali, a paddy-sapling cultivator, said price of Aman paddy sapling reached peak due to shortage of supply and low production of saplings. He came with 200 bundles of Amon paddy saplings and sold almost all at the rate of Tk 500 per bundle.
Ainal Shikdar, another farmer in the market, told two or three weeks ago the price of local varieties saplings were below Tk. 300, but today the market price reached to Tk. 400 to 500 taka.
Jagonnath Baroi, one of sapling farmer of Batajore, said he growing and selling paddy saplings since a decade at different markets of greater Barishal region, but the price this year reached to top.
Rahim Sheikh , one farmer of the area trying to purchase saplings, asked while we became bound to sale one mound paddy for Tk 400-450 against the production cost of Tk 600-650, then how could we survive .
Nazrul Haque Nilu, President, Jatiyo Krishok Samittee Barishal district unit, opined that high price of paddy saplings will increase cultivation cost, although the farmers failing getting fair price of cultivated crops to recover costing.
