Farmers in Sirajganj district are not getting the reasonable price for Boro paddy much to their frustration.Newly harvested boro paddy has started appearing in the local markets, but the growers are not getting its deserving price.
Sources in the markets said due to influence of a section of middlemen, the farmers cannot have control on the price of their
produce.
These middlemen are manipulating the price of boro using the chance that the government has not yet started to purchase the paddy at fair price.
Especially, businessmen are hoarding boro paddy purchasing it at cheaper price in advice to make higher profit.
Although farmers produced boro as per their expectation, they could not be happy at all for deprivation of the fair price.
Sources at the Department of Agriculture Extension, Sirajganj, said boro was cultivated in nine upazilas of the district this season under a target of about 2 lakh hectares of land.
The target was bigger than that of the last year.
Sources said farmers took small loans from banks, businessmen and NGOs but they had to buy agricultural inputs at high prices to cultivate boro.
Production of boro was good this year but irrigation and labour cost the growers higher.
Newly harvested paddy is selling in the local markets at Tk490-530 per maund.
Boro paddy of 28 variety is selling at Tk510-550 and Hira variety at Tk430-450 per maund.
The hoarders are buying the paddy and making stock for big benefit.
Middlemen are buying paddy at cheaper price from different hats including Nimgachhi, Salanga, Chandaikona, Dhangora, Pangasi, Nolka, Mohanpur, Sonamukhi, Barohar and Pachila.
They are buying paddy on Tk10-20 commission per maund and selling it to hoarders and rice dealers.
But the farmers are not getting even the production cost.
Meanwhile, paddy on hundreds of bigha of land has been damaged by black smoke from brick kilns in Kamakhanda, Tarash, Royganj and Shahjadpur upazilas.
Officials of the district and uapzila agriculture department visited the areas.
The district administration is taking actions against owners of the brick kilns and assured of giving compensation to the affected
farmers.
(UNB, Sirajganj)
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