The price of paddy has decreased significantly in Haor, char and beel areas of the country with the beginning of early harvest that pushed the farmers into a dire-strait, farmers said.
Seasonal storms caused severe damages to crops and households pushing prices down, they said.
Officials said the price of paddy in Haor regions is significantly lower than other parts of the country.
Farmers of the Haor regions were hopeful of fair price of their produce in the current Boro season following significant increase in production cost, but their hope turned into despair.
Paddy price decreased to just Tk 600-620 (in Sunamganj) and Tk 620-640 (Netrakona) per maund in haor areas. In Ariol Beel of Munshiganj it reduced to just Tk 640-650 against the government fixed procurement price of Tk 800 per maund (per kg paddy Tk 20, per kg rice Tk 31) for the current Boro season, sources said.
Mamataz Uddin, a farmer at Mithamoin under Kishoreganj district, said that the price of paddy (Shwarna variety) of Aman season was Tk 750-780 per maund (40 kg) last month.
"Shwarna variety almost disappeared from the market while the price of new crop Brridhan-28 decreased to just Tk 650 two days back and now the new crop was sold at Tk620 per maund," he said.
"Production cost has surpassed Tk 650-670 this year. We could have made profit if we had access to the government procurement drive," he said.
"No farmer could cash back their production cost this boro season", he said.
Another farmer at Barhatta uapazila under Netrakona district Md Alam Fakir told the FE that apart from rice fields, thousands of households were destroyed by the Boishakhi (nor'wester) storms.
"Farmers desperately need money and the farias' or middlemen are taking this opportunity," he said.
According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE)'s Sylhet and Mymensingh regional offices, farmers should at least get Tk680-700 per maund in the haor region to make a profit of Tk 30-50 per maund.
The offices said nearly 80 per cent of the harvest has been completed by Thursday and total harvest will end by the second week of May.
The two regional offices of DAE said this year Boro cultivation has increased to 0.4 million hectares from 0.37 million hectares last year in haor areas -- parts of Sunamganj, Hobiganj, Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Netrakona and Kishoreganj districts.
It is nearly eight per cent of the country's total Boro acreage of 4.78 million hectares this year, according to the official date.
An official at the Department of Agricultural Marketing told the FE that paddy wholesale prices in Haor region is Tk 80-100 less at per maund than that of other parts of the country.
He said Brridhan-28 (newly-arrived) price was hovering at Tk 700-760 per maund in few parts of Khulna, Bagerhat, Sathkira, Sirajganj, Rangpur, Dinajpur districts for last seven days.
"But the price is on a declining trend. We can realise the national scenario from the middle of May when harvest starts in full swing," he said.
However, rice prices at the mill-gates in rice hubs including Kushtia, Naogaon, Dinajpur, Rangpur have started to reduce, sources said.
Jahurul Islam Mandal, a trader at Khajanagar area under Kushtia, the biggest milling hub of the country, told the FE that the best quality Miniket rice price fell to Tk40-40.5 per kg which was Tk46-48 four days back.
"Brridhan-28 was sold at Tk 34-34.5 per kg which was Tk 38 few days back. Shawrna variety reduced to Tk 30-30.5 from Tk 32-32.5" he said.
"Paddy price which was Tk 800-820 per maund fell to 720-750 in just a week," he said.
Rice (coarse) prices also witnessed a sudden reduction in Dhaka in the last three days, traders said.
They said finer variety might also decrease after the end of the present stocks.
According to the prices of the key kitchen markets of the city rice price was recorded at Tk 34-36 (coarse) and Tk 46-56 (finer varieties) per kg on Saturday.
Farm economist ASM Golam Hafiz Kennedy told the FE that despite having a record production in Aus and Aman season, the government imposed no bar to import of rice.
A huge quantity of rice was imported for the last six months and being hoarded by big traders, he said.
"Millers have also started to release their hoarded rice in a reduced price to take the hold of the market in the current Boro season" he said.
"Government's procurement volume from the domestic sector should be raised to at least 3.0 million tonnes in Boro season from the present 1.1 million tonnes to take hold of the market by some extent," he said.
He said the government should impose ban on rice import immediately to safeguard the farmers.
Meanwhile in March last, the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee declared that the government would procure 1.0 million tonnes of Boro rice at Tk31 per kilogram against the government-estimated production cost of Tk 27.
The government will also procure 0.15 million tonnes of paddy from the Boro harvest at Tk 19 per kilogram.
Lagging regions see steep fall in paddy prices
Yasir Wardad | Published: May 04, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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