SYLHET, Apr 07: Farmers in the region are worried over the present price of paddy in the open markets as Boro harvest would begin in a week.
Many growers are in trouble with their previous stocks even.
A number of farmers said as there had been good crops in the region during the previous seasons, the price remained low yet with a good supply of paddy of all qualities.
It is hard to make profit now- a- days by producing paddy, lamented one Habibur Rahman of Derai upazila in Sunamganj.
He said most of the farmers can't manage expenses and they are compelled to take advance from money lenders at higher rate of interest, the grower added.
Besides, when they don't get better prices, it becomes hard for them to sustain. Same way the well to do farmers face different problem for storing paddy. However, some people are dependent on cultivating their own lands for meeting annual consumption of food, he further said.
One Anukul Das of Shulla upazila said, "I have a stock of 200 maunds of paddy from the last year's yield. But I can't sell it out due to poor market rate. Besides, harvest of my new crop would begin after a week. Storage facility is a major problem for everybody in haor region mainly."
A good number of paddy cultivators said farmers couldn't sell their paddy to the government depots last year as the Food Department collected rice from millers only.
"If it happens this time too, we would be in much trouble. The market price was also less during the last year's Boro season at Tk 600 to Tk 650 per maund", they added.
Asked about the possibility of paddy purchase from farmers directly, an official at the Food Department said the government had bought rice from millers only last year. It is not clear yet what decision would be come this time.
The department had procured their targeted 25,682 tonnes of Aman rice from all the four districts of Sylhet division weeks ago, an official informed.
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