Ujjal Hossain :
A protest rally and memorandum have been submitted in Pansha of Rajbari demanding eight points including stopping levy on sale of agricultural produce, ensuring profitable prices for crops, and launching government procurement centers and crop insurance at the union level.
The protest rally was held at around 11 am on Monday (April 27) in front of the Pansha Upazila office at the initiative of the Bangladesh Krishak Samity Pansha Upazila branch. The rally was presided over by Pangsha Upazila Krishak Samity President Tofazzel Hossain. District Communist Party President Abdus Samad Mia, District Krishak Samity President Abdus Sattar Mandal, and General Secretary Mujibur Rahman, moderated by General Secretary Ilias Khan, delivered speeches.
The speakers said that the prices of fertilizer-diesel-seeds-pesticides-electricity have continuously increased in the current market. Which is more than the ratio of increase in prices of onions, garlic, rice, jute and other crops. As a result, the common people including farmers are being affected. Pangsha Upazila is an agricultural area. Various crops including onions, jute and rice are produced here. These products have to be sold in various markets including Pangsha Upazila and the surrounding areas. But while selling these products in the markets, farmers are constantly being cheated. When selling onions in the market, they have to pay 2.5 kg of dhalata (excess weight over the specified weight) for each maund and additional onion for one kg of tola. In addition, if the weight of a crop is 39 kg 900 grams, then the weight is calculated by excluding 900 grams of the crop. Farmers have been protesting against this dhalata at various times. But there is no remedy for this. We are officially informing the administration. If even then, the dhalata is not stopped while selling products in the markets, then the farmers will unite and organize a movement to stop this dhalata.
During the protest, they demanded direct purchase of crops from farmers, suspension of paddy import during the Boro season, reduction in prices of agricultural inputs including fertilizers, seeds, pesticides, construction of adequate cold storage for preserving vegetables, activation of BADC, and an end to irregularities, harassment and corruption in the Rural Electricity and Land Offices. After the protest, a memorandum was submitted to the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO).
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