The vast haor area of Kishoreganj is known as the gateway to the greater haor region and an inexhaustible store of surplus boro grain. The district's haor has produced a bumper boro crop this year, and that paddy has filled the large Bhairab market. But with few buyers, sellers are anxious.

Since before independence, traders have brought paddy to the Bhairab market from Astagram, Itna and Mithamain in Kishoreganj, Khaliajuri in Netrokona, Dirai, Lakhai and Ajmiriganj in Habiganj, and parts of Sunamganj, Brahmanbaria and Sylhet. Because the market lies on the bank of the Meghna, it is easy for haor traders to bring paddy by river, which is why a thriving paddy market grew up in Bhairab. Its glamour has faded somewhat over time, but part of the haor's paddy is still marketed across the country through Bhairab.

Traders and millers from Dhaka, Narayanganj, Gazipur, Narsingdi, Lalmonirhat, Chandpur, Munshiganj and Cumilla buy paddy here. New paddy began arriving this year on 29 Chaitra.

At the market, several paddy-laden boats were anchored at the Meghna ghat, all bringing paddy from the haor. Workers were unloading it and stacking it in rows at the ghat for sale, since the paddy is sold right there.

Farmers and ordinary traders bring haor paddy not only from Kishoreganj but also from neighbouring Netrokona, Habiganj, Sunamganj and Brahmanbaria, and wholesale buyers come from all over the country.

Last year haor farmers suffered heavy losses from empty grains; BR-28 paddy in particular could not even be brought home from the fields. This year there have been no reports of empty grains anywhere in the haor. Farmers began cutting coarse paddy a few days before Boishakh began, and the average yield of coarse paddy is 22 maunds a bigha. Paddy dealers are buying from haor farmers at Tk 700 to 800 a maund.

Subir, a farmer from Ajmiriganj in Habiganj, brought 1,000 maunds of new paddy by boat to the Bhairab ghat. He said there was plenty of paddy in the haor this year, but prices are very low, so even with a bigger crop they will not profit. "The price is not going above Tk 800 a maund, so I am sitting here with my paddy," he said.

Safir Uddin, a paddy trader, came from Netrokona early in the morning with a trawler carrying several hundred maunds. He comes to Bhairab with boro paddy every year, but despite waiting since morning, nobody had made an offer.

Kamal Hossain brought one and a half thousand maunds from Habiganj. He said the haor had a bumper harvest but he was in trouble at Bhairab: though plenty of paddy is arriving, the wholesale shed owners are not offering higher prices. "We buy from farmers at wholesale prices and bring it here to sell. The yield is bumper this year but prices are very low, and farmers are not getting a good price," he said.

Helal Mia, owner of Helal Traders at the market, said farmers and local traders are bringing plenty of paddy by boat from the haor, but with few buyers from other parts of the country they cannot sell it. Coarse paddy is selling at Tk 780-800 a maund and fine paddy at Tk 900-920.

Kamal Uddin, owner of Shahjalal Traders, said it is the peak season for new paddy, so a great deal is arriving at Bhairab, but by comparison there are very few buyers.

Humayun Kabir, president of the Bhairab Chamber of Commerce, said Bhairab, on the bank of the Meghna, has been a well-known trading place since British times. Every year at the start of Boishakh large amounts of paddy come from the haor, and husking mill owners from around the country come to buy. This year supply is ample and new paddy is trading at Tk 780-800 a maund. Wet paddy is selling most at present; if dry paddy comes to market, prices will rise further, he said.

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