Farmers in Fulbari upazila of Dinajpur are harvesting a good crop of early Aman rice, but falling paddy prices mean they are losing Tk 2,000 to Tk 3,000 on every bigha. Under pressure to meet household costs and repay the loans they took to grow the crop, many are selling anyway.

According to the upazila Department of Agricultural Extension, the Aman target this season is 18,150 hectares, including 1,650 hectares of early varieties with a production target of 8,415 tonnes. Early varieties usually ripen in 90 to 110 days, after which many farmers plant early potatoes and then maize on the same land.

Farmers say each bigha has cost more than Tk 20,000. Yields are 18 to 22 maunds a bigha, and at Tk 750 to Tk 900 a maund depending on the variety, they receive Tk 17,000 to Tk 19,000. Biddut Rahman of Dadpur village said he spent Tk 20,000-22,000 a bigha on three bighas of early Aman and harvested 18-20 maunds a bigha; at Tk 750 a maund he is getting Tk 15,000 to Tk 16,000.

Amjad Hossain of Kharampur village in Aladipur union took a loan from a samity to grow rice on three bighas of sharecropped land, spending about Tk 60,000, and is now worried about repaying it. Hafizur Rahman of Malipara in Shibnagar union said household bills and loan repayments fall due as soon as the crop is in, so many farmers have no choice but to sell at low prices.

Farmers say the cost of fertiliser, seed, pesticide, irrigation, labour, harvesting and threshing has all gone up. Liton Prasad, a paddy wholesaler at Fulbari market, said prices have been falling since early hybrid paddy reached the market, dropping Tk 200 to Tk 300 a maund over the past week and a half.

Manjil Morshed, a leader of the upazila rice mill owners' association, said large rice imports under the interim government have cut demand for domestic rice, and if that continues into the main Aman season farmers may be denied a fair price. Additional upazila agriculture officer Shahanur Rahman said the agriculture department does not control paddy prices, but seed and chemical fertiliser have been given to farmers at various times to reduce costs.

The losses carry over into the next crop: besides recovering their Aman costs, farmers are worried about financing early winter vegetables.

Reported by Samakal's Fulbari (Dinajpur) correspondent.

Source: Samakal