Md. Emdadul Haque, Dupchanchia
The boro paddy growers are frustrated though they are getting bumper yield of it’s. They could not afford to get profit under Dupchanchia upazila in Bogra district due to its low market price this year. Most poor and marginal farmers had borrowed money at a high interest rate from the local moneylenders and NGOs to cultivate the paddy. Some of them are harvesting their paddy at the earliest to repay the loan. But the low market price of paddy is upsetting them. Department of Agriculture Extension source said, “If farmers do not get marketing facilities for their production, they will lose interest to cultivate the paddy.” According to (DAE) sources, a total of 22,413 hectares of land have been brought under boro cultivation in the upazila under the district with a production target of 45,605 tonnes of paddy and the farmers are quite optimistic about achieving the target. At present per maund paddy is being sold between Tk 450 to Tk 500 at different markets of the region. A farmer Mohsin Ali of Kuraher village under Dupchanchia upazila said, “A maund paddy is being sold at Tk450-Tk500 where it was sold at Tk750 to Tk800 last year.” “I have cultivated the paddy on one acres of land this season spending Tk 28,000 and harvested 80 maunds of the crop. But I have earned only Tk 40,000 by selling it,” he added. Farmer Enamul Haque Shinga village under Dupchanchia upazila said, “I have cultivated one acre of land spending Tk 12000 and I earned till now 16000.”
