There are fears that Barguna will miss its government paddy procurement target. Against this year's target of buying 5,842 tonnes of paddy in the district, only five and a half tonnes have been bought so far.

Government procurement of aman paddy began in Barguna on 29 November, alongside the rest of the country, and will continue until 28 February.

Farmers in different areas said they are getting more in the market than the government-set price, so they are selling their paddy there instead of to government warehouses.

Al-Amin of the Bashbunia area of Barguna said paddy can be sold in the market for Tk 100 to Tk 150 more per maund than the government price. "That's why I sell in the market," he said.

Matiur Rahman, a farmer from the Boraitala area, said selling paddy to the government involves a lot of hassle. Paddy is often sent back on the grounds that its quality is poor, yet there is no obstacle to selling that same paddy in the market. Besides, when the quantity is large, traders come to the field and buy it, so there is no transport cost and no hassle.

Md Ali of the Sonakhali area said: "We don't know that the government buys paddy. If the price is higher than the market and the transport cost lower, then paddy can be sold to the government."

Reza, manager of Munshi Traders in Barguna town, said many farmers sell their paddy to them because of long-standing trading relationships.

Mamun, a worker at Howlader Traders, said farmers often phone the shop once their paddy is harvested. "We take a vehicle and weigh 500 to 1,000 maunds of paddy at a time right in the field and bring it back," he said.

Tohidur Rahman, acting Barguna district food controller, said: "We cannot buy paddy from farmers at more than the fixed price. On the other hand, because market prices are higher, farmers are not interested in selling to the government. The paddy is sold straight from the field."

He said the district's target for the current season is 5,842 tonnes of paddy, against which only five and a half tonnes have been bought so far.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.