The country's farmers are in a state of hope and despair over getting returns on their investment in the harvest season in view of rise in production cost of Boro paddy by at least 20 per cent this year.
As the vigour of winter is much less this year compared to that of previous years, cultivation of Boro has been going on in full swing across the country.
On the other hand, there has been a significant increase in prices of major inputs including seed, irrigation, fertiliser, pesticide and labour.
"Profitable price trend in Aman harvest season has led farmers to increase Boro cultivation this year. The production target could easily be achieved in absence of any major natural calamity", Director General of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Abu Hanif Miah said.
He said the country has targetted 18.9 million tonnes of rice from 4.8 million hectares of land this year (FY'14). "Boro output stood at a record 18.759 million tonnes in FY'13".
"The target of seed bed was set at 0.4 million hectares but achievement has been 0.42 million hectares so far", he said.
However, he informed that 43 per cent plantation on the targetted 4.8 million hectares of land has been completed by Sunday. This was 32 per cent in the corresponding period of last year.
When cultivation scenario is indicating a sound production, the farmers have expressed fears as to whether they would get their returns from their investment.
Md Sekender Ali, a farmer at Sadarpur village under Jamalganj upazila in Sunamganj district, said he bought urea fertiliser at Tk22 per kg against Tk16 actual price.
"I need 90 kg of urea for my 2.5 'kears' (1 kear = 28 decimals in the area) of land. This means I have paid Tk540 extra this year", Mr Ali said.
He also informed that his land needs 10-12 kg of non-urea including MOP, DAP and TSP.
"MOP sells at Tk 17 per kg instead of Tk 15, DAP at Tk 30 instead of Tk 26 in my area," he said.
Seed cost too soared to Tk360 per ten kg pack from Tk250 last year, he further said.
"Irrigation cost has also increased significantly this year", he added.
"Last year we got Tk 580-620 for per maund (40 kg) of rice against our production cost of Tk600-620. Only Allah knows what will happen this year," he added.
Md Kamal Hossain, vice-chairman of the Jamalganj Upazila Parishad, Sunamganj said irrigation cost has increased to Tk1050 from Tk650 last year per kear of land. "Many think Haor farmers have no water cost but they are wrong. Farmers bear a higher cost to fetch water from the haor", he said.
He said the supply chain has recently been normal but haor farmers bought those much earlier.
"The overall production cost will increase by 20 per cent this year compared to that of last year", he said.
Harvesting occurs during the March-April period in haor region, much earlier than the rest of the country to avoid flash flood that happens in the April-July period.
Farm economist A S M Golam Hafeez Kennedy said increase in paddy production cost will ultimately hit the farmers badly.
"The government has to increase market intervention to procure minimum 1.5 million tonnes to give them the minimum support. It is possible as the government storage capacity has recently improved", he said.
"A balance between prices at the growers' level and at the consumers' end is necessary to make the both communities advantageous" he said.
He also pleaded for providing cash subsidy to the farmers to keep them engaged in farming for the sake of food security in the country.
Boro is the key crop, which contributes 55 per cent of the total food grain production. Total rice output was 33.77 million tonnes in FY'13, of which Boro contributed 18.759 million tonnes.
The target of Boro production has been set at 18.9 million tonnes this season.
