SB-Sujon :
Farmers of Lalmonirhat are facing uncertainty from both sides, nature and the market. On one side, golden paddy is all over the field, on the other side, black clouds are all over the sky. At a time when paddy is being harvested, the market price has further increased the frustration of farmers. Farmers say that the selling price of paddy is not covering their production costs.
The District Agricultural Extension Department said that Boro paddy has been cultivated on 48,110 hectares of land in Lalmonirhat this season. Which is 110 hectares more than the target. A large part of it has already started ripening. But the uncertain weather is repeatedly stopping that golden dream.
In some places, farmers are not getting the courage to harvest paddy, and in some places, the harvested paddy is suddenly submerged in rainwater and is facing losses. It was seen from various fields in five upazilas that although most of the land is suitable for harvesting paddy, the farmers are waiting for the sky to clear.
Amidst the worries and anxieties, farmers are worried about the price even though they have brought home golden dreams. This time, farmers have had to procure oil and fertilizer at high prices since the beginning of Boro cultivation.
That is why the cost of production is much higher than in the past. In the current season, the cost of production of paddy is 950 to 1000 taka per maund. Currently, paddy is being sold in the market at a price of 600 to 700 taka per maund. Even though the cost of production has increased, the price of paddy has not increased. As a result, they are having to count losses. After the losses in potatoes and tobacco, many farmers are also announcing that they will give up Boro cultivation due to the losses.
Sabur Mandal, a farmer from Aditmari Bhadai village, said, the paddy was ripe a week ago. But if it rains now and cannot be dried, everything will be ruined. So I cannot take the risk.
Abdur Rashid, from Chalbala village in Kaliganj, said, the price of paddy is low, and the cost is very high. Rice production costs around 12,000 to 13,000 taka, including seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, labor, harvesting, weeding, bringing it home and threshing. When rice is sold, it only gets 11,000 taka. Earlier, there were losses on potatoes and tobacco. Now there are losses on rice too. How will farmers survive if there are such losses?
Shafiqul Islam, a farmer from Kalmati village in Sadar upazila, said, he had to stand in long lines and struggle to buy fertilizers and oil at high prices. Now he is also suffering losses on that rice. The government has fixed the price at 1,400 taka per maund. Now it is being sold in the market for only 600 to 700 taka. Although farmers are suffering losses by cultivating it, the farmers and hoarders are making a profit. If this happens, he will have to give up farming.
Saddam Hossain, a farmer from Duhuli, said, “This one bigha of rice is my hope for the whole year. The rice yield is good, but there is no price. When I go to the market, the price of rice is not mentioned. The production cost is 900 to 1,000 taka. Selling for 600 to 700 taka per maund.
Dr. Saikhul Arifin, Deputy Director of the Lalmonirhat Department of Agricultural Extension, said, “This year, there has been a bumper harvest of Boro due to favorable weather conditions. Farmers are being advised to harvest 80 percent of the paddy as soon as it is ripe to save it from natural disasters during the threshing season. If the paddy is dried and sold in government warehouses, the farmers will not suffer any loss but will gain. We have given the list of farmers to the food department to buy paddy for the farmers.”
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