BNP’s memo to all DCs for fair price of paddy jute mills worker dues

Dhaka, May 21 – The BNP on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to deputy commissioners across the country demanding to ensure fair prices of paddy and clear all arrears of jute mill workers immediately.
As part of the programme, Dhaka district unit of the BNP led by its president Dewan Salahuddin and Nipun Roy Chowdhury submitted a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner of Dhaka district Abu Saleh Mohammed Ferdous Khan at around 12:00noon.
The memorandum said a disappointment has been created among the farmers over the prices of boro paddy as the farmer has to sell less than Tk 300 per maund paddy against their production cost.
The deprived farmers are protesting lower price of paddy by setting fire on paddy and spreading paddy on the streets, it said.
The BNP thinks the money is going to pockets of the middlemen but the government is not taking care of it.
The party said the government fixed the procurement rate of per maund paddy at Tk 1,040, but the farmers are being forced to sell the harvest to middlemen at Tk 450 to Tk 500 per maund.
The opposition party blamed the government’s reluctance for the lower price of paddy and said the farmers are not getting fair price of their produces due to an anti-people policy of the government.
There will be a disastrous situation in the country if the farmers are not protected and 17 crore people will die in starvation, said the memorandum.
The BNP also mentioned that the jute mills workers passing through miserable lives and urged the government to abide by their demands.
Our correspondents from different districts report that the BNP peacefully submitted the memorandum to the respective DCs on the demands.
Earlier on Sunday, BNP announced the two-day programme demanding that the government ensure fair prices of paddy and clear all the arrears of jute mill workers.
As part of the programme, the party will form human chains at all the union-level haat-bazaars on May 23 to press for the same demands.
BNP programme came after a number of farmers set fire to their own paddy fields at different parts of Bangladesh, including Tangail, Joypurhat and Netrokona, as they have been counting a loss of Tk 300
per maund due to the price fall. – Staff Reporter