Seed crisis hampers Boro cultivation in two dists
Friday, 12 November 2010
Our Correspondent
GAIBANDHA, Nov 11: The cultivation of Boro paddy may be hampered in all the seven Upazilas in the district during the current season due to acute crisis of quality seed.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said a total of 1, 22, 223 hectares of land of the district will be brought under Boro paddy cultivation this year with the production target of 4, 89, 654 tons of rice.
To cultivate it, the farmers will prepare the seed beds of 5864 hectares of land by sowing 4199 metric tons of seed this season.
Office sources said Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has sanctioned only 465 metric tons of seed to sell those to the growers of all the seven Upazilas of the district this season through 3 sales centers and 82 dealers.
The allocation of seed for the district is very insufficient as it can meet only eleven per cent demand of the total.
A 10-KG packet of seed is being sold at TK 330 from the BADC sale centers but the same is being sold by the dealers between TK 420 and 500 in co-operation with dishonest officials, some farmers alleged.
The seed which are available in the local markets are very costly but they are not qualitatively good. As a result, the farmers of the district are crowding the BADC sales centres to purchase the seed from there with the hope of getting desired production.
Many of the farmers are retuning home with frustration for not buying the seed as per their necessity as one farmer is allowed to buy only one packet from the sale centre showing agri inputs distribution card.
As many as 370 metric tons of seed have already been sold within a few days last and the rest will be sold very shortly, said Jahidul Haque, deputy director, seed marketing, BADC Rangpur.
The farmers of the district urged the authorities concerned to sanction more seed for them to meet their demand and to help them boost production of the Boro paddy this year.
Brahmanbaria
UNB adds: Farmers of Sarail Upazila of the district have been facing problems due to acute scarcity of BRRI-29 variety seeds and its high price in the local market.
It has frustrated the farmers as some dealers and traders are charging extra money using the crisis situation in this season.
Some farmers showed their annoyance in Kalikachchha bazaar of the Upazila Saturday morning when they were compelled to buy seeds at Tk 500 per bag where the government already fixed the rate for all BADC seeds bag containing 10 kgs at Tk 330.
It is alleged that, dealers are selling the seeds in other places at high prices depriving the farmers of the Upazila.
Jalal Mia, farmer of Golania village, said he purchased the seeds from Baghdad fertiliser dealer at Tk 400 per bag.
Motaleb, another farmer of the village, alleged that he had to purchase seeds at Tk 500 from a card holder dealer while only BADC dealer of Kalikachchha bazaar Harun-ur-Rashid who is also the proprietor of Krishokbandhu said he himself got 400 bag seeds which have already been sold in five days.
Agriculture officer of Kalikachchha union Abdul Mannan, however, admitted it and said, "I have already informed the higher authorities to of the matter take necessary action immediately."
Sources said, BADC dealer Shuvash Chandra Dash of Sharail bazaar under special allotment procured 15 mts seeds on 24 October and is selling the seeds at Tk 400-500 with the connivance of a dishonest agriculture official.
Despite having enough stock in his godown Shuvash is creating artificial crisis, the sources added.
Upazila agriculture officer Mohammad Mohsin claimed that there was no crisis of seed and the BADC authorities are facing problems to supply seeds as per demand due to scarcity of bags.
GAIBANDHA, Nov 11: The cultivation of Boro paddy may be hampered in all the seven Upazilas in the district during the current season due to acute crisis of quality seed.
Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said a total of 1, 22, 223 hectares of land of the district will be brought under Boro paddy cultivation this year with the production target of 4, 89, 654 tons of rice.
To cultivate it, the farmers will prepare the seed beds of 5864 hectares of land by sowing 4199 metric tons of seed this season.
Office sources said Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) has sanctioned only 465 metric tons of seed to sell those to the growers of all the seven Upazilas of the district this season through 3 sales centers and 82 dealers.
The allocation of seed for the district is very insufficient as it can meet only eleven per cent demand of the total.
A 10-KG packet of seed is being sold at TK 330 from the BADC sale centers but the same is being sold by the dealers between TK 420 and 500 in co-operation with dishonest officials, some farmers alleged.
The seed which are available in the local markets are very costly but they are not qualitatively good. As a result, the farmers of the district are crowding the BADC sales centres to purchase the seed from there with the hope of getting desired production.
Many of the farmers are retuning home with frustration for not buying the seed as per their necessity as one farmer is allowed to buy only one packet from the sale centre showing agri inputs distribution card.
As many as 370 metric tons of seed have already been sold within a few days last and the rest will be sold very shortly, said Jahidul Haque, deputy director, seed marketing, BADC Rangpur.
The farmers of the district urged the authorities concerned to sanction more seed for them to meet their demand and to help them boost production of the Boro paddy this year.
Brahmanbaria
UNB adds: Farmers of Sarail Upazila of the district have been facing problems due to acute scarcity of BRRI-29 variety seeds and its high price in the local market.
It has frustrated the farmers as some dealers and traders are charging extra money using the crisis situation in this season.
Some farmers showed their annoyance in Kalikachchha bazaar of the Upazila Saturday morning when they were compelled to buy seeds at Tk 500 per bag where the government already fixed the rate for all BADC seeds bag containing 10 kgs at Tk 330.
It is alleged that, dealers are selling the seeds in other places at high prices depriving the farmers of the Upazila.
Jalal Mia, farmer of Golania village, said he purchased the seeds from Baghdad fertiliser dealer at Tk 400 per bag.
Motaleb, another farmer of the village, alleged that he had to purchase seeds at Tk 500 from a card holder dealer while only BADC dealer of Kalikachchha bazaar Harun-ur-Rashid who is also the proprietor of Krishokbandhu said he himself got 400 bag seeds which have already been sold in five days.
Agriculture officer of Kalikachchha union Abdul Mannan, however, admitted it and said, "I have already informed the higher authorities to of the matter take necessary action immediately."
Sources said, BADC dealer Shuvash Chandra Dash of Sharail bazaar under special allotment procured 15 mts seeds on 24 October and is selling the seeds at Tk 400-500 with the connivance of a dishonest agriculture official.
Despite having enough stock in his godown Shuvash is creating artificial crisis, the sources added.
Upazila agriculture officer Mohammad Mohsin claimed that there was no crisis of seed and the BADC authorities are facing problems to supply seeds as per demand due to scarcity of bags.