The government set a target of buying 8,355 tonnes of Aman paddy in Gaibandha. The procurement drive began on 17 November and ended on 28 February. The government fixed the price at Tk 33 a kg for this Aman season, but even at that high price the warehouses could not buy paddy from farmers.

According to the district food controller's office, a target was set to procure 8,255 tonnes of paddy and 13,339 tonnes of rice through 11 warehouses in Gaibandha. Rice procurement reached 13,333 tonnes, close to the target, but only 369 tonnes of paddy were collected. In other words, after the three-month period the government could not collect even 5 percent (4.47 percent) of its paddy target.

Of the district's seven upazilas, Gaibandha Sadar did not collect a single grain of paddy. Gobindaganj upazila collected the most, at 112 tonnes, while warehouses in the other upazilas managed small amounts.

The sources said a farmer can sell from a minimum of 120 kg up to a maximum of 3 tonnes of paddy to a government warehouse. After buying the paddy, the warehouse gives the farmer a weight and stock certificate, which the farmer deposits in his own Tk 10 bank account. He then withdraws the money by cheque.

The government bought paddy at Tk 30 a kg last year and announced Tk 33 this time, which works out at Tk 1,320 a maund. In local markets paddy traded at Tk 1,200-1,300 this season. But taking paddy to the warehouse raises the farmer's costs and takes more labour and time, and farmers face various kinds of harassment from officials when delivering. For these reasons farmers are turning away from government warehouses.

Aynal Haque, a farmer of Kashinathpur village in Gaibandha Sadar upazila, told Jagonews: "Carrying paddy to the government food warehouse costs more and takes more time and labour. You have to go to the bank to draw the money. Selling paddy from home involves no hassle and no cost. That's why farmers have no interest in selling to government warehouses."

Another farmer, Hashem Mia, said: "You get harassed when you take paddy to the warehouse. They weigh the same paddy again and again. When you go to collect the money, the officers play all sorts of tricks. They say you have to pay a tip to get the cheque. Because of all this trickery I won't give them paddy any more."

Majnu Islam, a farmer of Sataibatail village in Gobindaganj, said: "The rate the government set for Aman paddy this time is fairly good. But when farmers go to deliver paddy, the warehouse officials harass them. That's why I didn't give paddy to the government warehouse."

Asked about it, district food controller Md Mizanur Rahman told Jagonews that the food department bought 1,333 tonnes of rice from contracted rice mill owners, but had failed to collect the target amount of paddy.

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