Despite adverse weather, Habiganj has had a bumper boro crop this season, and the vast haors are golden with paddy. The harvest should have brought joy to farming families, but they see only despair and anxiety. With paddy prices falling, they are worried about recovering their production costs, and many are anxious about repaying the advances they took.

Boro harvesting has begun in most of the district's haors. But water is standing in many haors, so harvesters cannot be used, and labourers are not always available; when they are, they must be paid extra. On top of that, paddy prices this year are the lowest in several years, leaving farmers disheartened.

Sourav Mia, a farmer in Shukribari village of Ajmiriganj Sadar union, said he had grown hybrid boro on a total of 65 bighas of his own and leased land. The average yield was 19 maunds a bigha, of which 5 maunds a bigha went to the labourers who cut it, leaving 14 maunds. That he has to sell at just Tk 710 a maund. "When we go to buy rice in the market, we pay full price. But when we sell paddy, we don't get a fair price. We are forced to sell cheap to repay our debts," he said.

Akchhir Mia, a farmer in Shibpasha village, said: "I have cut the paddy from 15 bighas and sold it at Tk 700 a maund. That won't even cover the cost of production. What will I repay the loan with, and what will my family eat? There is no profit for the farmer. Farmers won't survive without a fair price for paddy, and people will lose interest in farming."

Akkas Mia, a farmer in Jalsukha village, said: "Cutting paddy with a harvester costs Tk 2,500 a bigha. With fertiliser, seed, weeding and transplanting, it cost about Tk 700 to produce each maund of paddy. Yet we have to sell at Tk 675. What will I repay the loan with, and where will I find the money for household costs?"

Layes Mia of Bhadoi village in Habiganj Sadar upazila said: "It cost Tk 600 to Tk 650 to produce a maund of paddy, but we are selling it at Tk 550 to Tk 600 a maund. We won't even cover the production cost. There is no profit in farming any more. If things stay like this, I'm not sure whether I will grow boro next year."

Md Aktaruzzaman, deputy director of the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said almost the whole target had been achieved. With favourable weather, harvesting is going fast; in low-lying haor land where machines cannot go, labourers are doing the work. He hoped harvesting in all the district's haors would finish soon.

According to the DAE, boro was grown on 123,644 hectares this season: 14,601 hectares in Ajmiriganj, 33,705 in Baniachang, 18,956 in Nabiganj, 11,208 in Lakhai, 9,350 in Habiganj Sadar, 2,715 in Shayestaganj, 12,150 in Madhabpur, 12,545 in Chunarughat and 8,414 in Bahubal. Early in the season, rainwater damaged paddy on 281 hectares.

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