Despite bumper Boro yield in Patnitala low-price frustrates farmers
Ikhtiar Uddin Azad, Patnitala (Naogaon)
Known as the granary of paddy, the Barind region of Naogaon district has seen a bumper boro harvest in Patnitala Upazila this season. However, farmers are far from pleased due to the low market prices for their produce, leaving them deeply disappointed.
On Tuesday, at the Madhail market in the upazila, paddy was being sold at Tk 1,200 per maund for Katari, Tk 1,150 for Jira, and Tk 1,400 for Nobboi varieties.
Local farmer Bandhan Kumar Das remarked, “When a kilogram of rice costs Tk 75, but a kilogram of paddy fetches only Tk 30, how can farmers survive in this country?”
Farmers claim that each bigha (33 decimals) of land yields 17-20 maunds of paddy, depending on the variety. The cost for seeds, cultivation, irrigation, and pesticides amounts to around Tk 2,500. Additionally, expenses for land preparation, weeding, harvesting, threshing, labor, and transportation total approximately Tk 18,000-20,000.
Tarikul Islam, a farmer from Dighipara village in Ghoshnagar Union, said, “The market prices at the start of the harvesting season have already disappointed us. If paddy imports increase, prices will drop even further! With production costs in mind, the low prices leave us no way to survive—farmers are facing ruin!”
Patnitala Upazila Agriculture Officer Sohrab Hossain noted, “Despite the bumper boro yield, farmers are disheartened due to not receiving fair prices.”
