Boro farmers face low price, high labour cost in Magura, Jashore

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OUR CORRESPONDENTS | Published: May 09, 2026 22:04:14

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Boro paddy growers in Magura have been facing low price for their produce, high labour cost and rain damage, while growers from Jashore said they face serious labour shortage and apprehension of significant rain damage.
Our correspondent from Magura reports, some 39,535 hectares were brought under boro cultivation in the district this season with a production target of 108,622 metric tonnes.
Murad Joarder, a farmer of Raigram village under Magura Sadar Upazila, said severe rainfall has damaged the paddy he cultivated on a bigha of land out of the total three bighas. He spent a total Tk 30,000 to cultivate the crop and the sale of his produce on a couple of bighas of land has earned him Tk 24,000 so far. "Earnings from the sale would not cover my production cost. How shall I survive?"
Farhad Hossen, another farmer of Defulia village of Magura Sadar Upazila, said the farmers will suffer loss this season. "We are selling Boro paddy at Tk 900 per maund, which was Tk 1,300 last year." He further said they have been paying Tk 1,300 to each labourer and last year the rate was Tk 900." Golam Biswas, another farmer of Gangnalia village under Magura Sadar Upazila, said he brought three bighas of land under Boro cultivation and could not afford labourers, who have been demanding Tk 1,300 per day. "Finding no other alternative, I harvested my paddy on a bigha along with two of my sons. The paddy on two bighas of my land was badly damaged (almost 80 per cent) due to recent rainfall. We demand compensation from the government."
The rate for Boro paddy procurement by the government is currently at Tk 36 for per kg, according to Sandip Kumar Dash, district controller of food, Magura.
District Agricultural Marketting Officer Md Robiul Islam said although the paddy price is now low in the market, it will be increased gradually and farmers will get a reasonable price if they sell paddy as per the government procurement rate.
Our correspondent from Benapole adds, acute labour shortage has disrupted the harvest of Boro paddy at the peak season, while the threat of rainfall and storm has significantly raised fears of crop damage on vast areas of land. Approximately 157,950 hectares have been brought under Boro cultivation in Jashore this season, most of which has already matured. However, persistant rainfall has hindered harvesting activities and hastily cut paddy left in the fields have been remaining submerged by rainwater.
Visits to fields in Jashore Sadar, Abhaynagar, Keshabpur, and Sharsha upazilas reveal that although much of the crop is ready for harvest, farmers are waiting anxiously for the weather to improve.
"I've had ripe paddy in my field for over a week, but I can't harvest due to continuous rain and storm threats," said Ayub Hossain, a farmer from Jashore Sadar as sudden rainfall can damage the harvested crops on the field if not moved quickly.
Another farmer, Malek Mia from the same area, said production costs have been high while market prices remain low. "It costs nearly Tk 6,000 per bigha for harvesting, bundling, transporting, and threshing. If the crop is damaged by rain, we will face heavy losses," he added.
The labour crisis has further compounded the problem. Even when workers are available, wages have surged significantly. Daily wages now range between Tk 1,400 and Tk 1,600.
"On one hand, there's fear of storms, and on the other, a severe shortage of labour. If we can't harvest on time, the yield will be ruined," said farmer Rabiul Islam from Keshabpur.
In Abhaynagar, heavy rainfall for just an hour recently submerged large areas of paddy fields. With continued cloudy weather, farmers are struggling to dry the wet crops, increasing the risk of spoilage. Men and women are working together to salvage submerged paddy.
Md Nurul Islam, upazila agriculture officer of Jhikargacha, said that 19,280 hectares of land have been brought under Boro cultivation in the upazila this season. "Most of the paddy is already mature. We are advising farmers to harvest quickly and, if possible, use mechanical harvesters," he said.
Some farmers told this correspondent that currently they can not use harvesting machines as those may be damaged by rain water.
Mosharraf Hossain, deputy director of the DAE in Jashore, said that around 40 per cent of the paddy has been harvested so far. "We are repeatedly urging farmers to harvest their crops as quickly as possible. If weather conditions improve, most of the harvesting can be completed in time," he added.
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