Boro farmers in north suffer surprise loss

Boro farmers in some northern districts, especially in Bogra, face a huge loss as they are forced to sell their produce far below the production costs and at almost half the prices they got last season.
“My father lost more than Tk 1.36 lakh cultivating Boro in 3.33 hectares of land this year,” said Abdul Wadud at Shahjahanpur upazila of Bogra district.
“He spent more than Tk 2.63 lakh for Boro cultivation this year,” said Wadud. “I sold BR-28 variety on the wholesale market yesterday at Tk 8.75 per kilogram (kg), whereas I sold the same variety at Tk 18.25 last season,” he said.
Fine quality Minikate paddy was selling at Tk 11.75 per kg at Ranirhat wholesale market but the price was Tk 20 last season.
Wholesaler Abu Bakkar Siddique of the market said he purchased BR-76 variety at Tk 15 per kg last year, whereas the price came down to Tk 9.25 this year.
Md Rustom Ali Mondal, deputy director, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Bogra, said the department has calculated Boro production cost at Tk 13 per kg including land rent.
“DAE fixed the production target of Boro in Bogra at around 8.39 lakh tonnes this year, but we expect production in the district will reach 8.50 lakh tonnes,” said Mondal.
KM Layek Ali, convener of Bangladesh Rice Mills Owners’ Association, said farmers in the area are selling their paddy at Tk 300-Tk 350 per 40 kg on an average due to bumper production and late government procurement.
A senior food official told The Daily Star that the government is yet to start procurement in many districts, including Bogra, although it decided to start buying Boro from May 1.
The main causes of the price fall include late procurement and a space shortage in government warehouses, said Layek Ali.
Md Anwar Hossain, deputy controller (Food) in Bogra, said yesterday the DAE is yet to start procurement as some official works remained undone in this regard.
A farmer of Chapainawabganj district said he sold his BR-28 variety Boro at Tk 11 per kg against the production cost of Tk 15.38.
A farmer of Shatia upazila of Pabna district said he spent Tk 8,500 for producing 720 kg BR-29 variety this year, but he sold the rice at Tk 8,100, incurring a loss of Tk 400.
Another farmer of Kurigram district said he had to count loss of Tk 1,700 for producing 600 kg BR-28 variety.

Courtesy of The Daily Star