Home ›› 08 Aug 2022 ›› Nation
Due to the increase in the market price of paddy and rice compared to the government procurement price in Bogura, there are doubts that the Boro paddy and rice procurement campaign may be disrupted this year.
The farmers said they are not selling their paddy to the government warehouses as its market price is higher, but official sources said the collection campaign will be completed within the stipulated time.
Meanwhile, the mill owners said due to their contractual obligation, they are being forced to sell rice to the government even after counting losses. They will not incur losses if the prices of rice are increased by Tk 4-5.
The District Controller of Food (DCF) has a target to collect 25,361 tonnes of Boro paddy and 61,600 tonnes of Boro rice from the district this year.
On May 7, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder officially inaugurated the paddy and rice collection campaign. The Directorate General of Food will purchase paddy for Tk 27 per kg and rice for Tk 40 per kg.
Paddy will be purchased from farmers from 28 April to 31 August and rice will be purchased from mill owners from 7 April to 31 August.
DCF expects the collection campaign to be successful as Bogura had a bumper Boro harvest this season.
According to DCF and the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), rice with 25 per cent moisture content is being sold in the market for Tk 800-900 per maund and paddy with 22 per cent moisture content is being sold for Tk 950-1,020 per maund.
Jamatul Ameer, manager of Karnaphuli Rice Mill in Bogura’s Shibganj upazila, said they have to buy paddy for Tk 1,000-1,050 per maund to make rice and sell to the government.
“The government is very selective about the rice and it costs us more than Tk 40 per kg to produce it,” he said.
Lokman Hossain, a farmer of Shibganj’s Jamurhat area, said, “The market price of paddy is higher than what we get from the mill owners. So, we are selling our harvest at the market instead of the mills.”
Farmers also said they face problems selling paddy to the government warehouses due to the complex conditions. Due to their limited knowledge about moisture levels, the marginal farmers find it troublesome to ensure that the paddy is 14 per cent moist at maximum.
Hence, many farmers do not participate in the government’s rice-paddy collection campaign, selling their harvest in the market.
Nazrul Islam, the owner of Namuja Three Star Automatic Rice Mill in Bogura Sadar, said many people are reluctant to give rice to the government due to the high prices of paddy and rice in the market.
“Some mill owners have a contract with the government and have to sell rice to them despite incurring losses,” he said.
He also said that some mill owners might not be able to fulfill their contract as the prices of most daily necessities are on the rise.
“The most recent fuel price hike will impact the rice collection campaign,” he apprehended.
Kazi Hasibul Islam, food inspector of Betgari LSD in Shajahanpur upazila of Bogura, said, “The target was to buy 1,442 tonnes of paddy at Shajahanpur LSD.
`But it has not been possible to meet the target as the market price is higher than the government-set price.”
Additional Deputy Director of DAE Bogura Enamul Haque said that the target of boro cultivation has been set at 1,87,415 hectares of land in the district from which over 8.25 lakh tonnes of paddy harvest is expected.
District Controller of Food Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman said this year, the collection target from Bogura was 25,361 tonnes of Boro rice and 61,600 tonnes of paddy.
Out of this, 5,866 tonnes of paddy and 38,312 tonnes of rice have been purchased so far. In the last three months, only 64 per cent of paddy and rice has been collected in the district.
“We hope to collect the rest of the paddy by 31 August. I expect the collection campaign to be successful,” he added.
