Farmers in trouble with low paddy price, labour shortage in Lalmonirhat

OUR CORRESPONDENT
LALMONIRHAT, May 13: Farmers of Lalmonirhat have been getting low price for their Boro paddy as shortage of labourers and high harvesting cost added to their woes.
Growers of International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) Boro paddy across the district have started harvesting in full swing, although sudden rainfall in the past few days has halted the progress in many areas, with low lying areas remaining waterlogged.
Farmers are worried that with the acute shortage of farm labourers, their ripened crop in the submerged field may sustain damage.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) sources said currently per maund of paddy is selling at Tk 850-900 in the market and growers spend Tk 1,122 to produce the same amount of
the crop. Farmers have been spending Tk 15,000-20,000 to produce 18-22 maunds of paddy per bigha. They have to count extra costs due to the price hike of commodities, including diesel and fertiliser.
Farmer Jitendronath of Magura Sadar
Upazila's Panchagram village said they have to pay labourers Tk 4,000-6,000 for cutting paddy on per bigha, while transportation and threshing costs another Tk 2,000. Every day they have to spend Tk 500-600 as the cost for a labourer.
Hafizul Islam, a farmer of Aditmari Upazila, said there has been an acute crisis of farm labour in the peak season. He alleged that the crisis has occurred as most of the youths have been driving battery-run autorickshaw on a rental basis, which have been preventing them from joining harvesting work and raising the cost of labour as a result. Rayhanur Rahaman, a non-government college teacher, said his paddy field is now underwater and he was unable to cut the crops due to high labour costs.
"Farmers will die as they are not getting fair price for their crops. Farmers incurred losses in potato, tobacco and paddy this season. So, where will they go?" he said, expressing concern.
DAE sources said farmers cultivated IRRI Boro on 48,500 hectares.
Dr. Md. Saykhul Arifin, deputy director, DAE, Lalmonirhat, said at peak harvesting season, many labourers travel throughout the country for harvesting work, but this year they have engaged themselves in other jobs like driving battery-operated rickshaw, which is one of the reasons for low paddy price, labour shortage and high cost of labour.
ahasnathrana@yahoo.com