Save farmers

It is a matter of serious disappointment to a farmer that a maund (37kgs) of rice production cost is around Tk 900-1000 but it's selling price is much lower, only Tk 500-600.

Frustrated farmers formed human chains, held press conferences and blocked roads in several parts of the country. They also burned their rice on the streets.

Farmers are losing hardcore earnings day by day and their financial capacity is worsening. The prices of rice have been dominated by the middlemen. Farmers are demanding fair prices. They are demanding government procurement centres at each market.

The agriculture sector has an overwhelming impact on macroeconomic objectives like employment generation, poverty alleviation, human resources development, food security, etc. Agriculture is the blood of our economy and many industrial inputs are provided by farmers till now.

The prices of agriculture input and cost are so exorbitant that a number of farmers are losing their interest to cultivate farm land and as a result, every year hundreds of hectors of land remain uncultivated.

We urge the government to seriously address the issue so that farmers get just price of their crops.

Md Zillur Rahaman

Satish Sarker Road

Gandaria, Dhaka

[email protected]