A story that went viral on social media was that a farmer set fire to his field because paddy fetched no price. Channel i's Tangail correspondent Muslim Uddin told Shykh Seraj that Abdul Malek Sikder of Bankina village, Paikra union, Kalihati upazila, had burned the paddy on 56 decimals. A maund of paddy sold for 500 taka, while harvesting labour cost 1,000 taka. Such protests are not new: farmers in Sylhet dumped tomatoes and in Mymensingh destroyed aubergines when prices collapsed.

In March and April, at pre-budget "Agriculture Budget, Farmers' Budget" discussions in five districts, farmers repeatedly raised their despair over paddy prices and feared a Boro crash, which came. In Natore, a farmer told former finance minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith that he had 700 to 800 maunds of paddy but no place to keep it and no price: selling at 500 to 550 taka a maund did not cover half his costs.

Over eight to ten days, Seraj spoke by phone with farmers across the country, many of whom said they had not seen such low prices in ten years:

• Motiur Rahman of Birul, Dinajpur, said a 76-kg sack of BRRI dhan28 sells for 1,050 to 1,150 taka against a cost of 1,200 to 1,300 taka.
• Abu Helal Khan of Boula, Fulpur, Mymensingh, said paddy fetches 500 to 550 taka, and farmers miss fair prices because the government does not buy directly.
• Amirul Islam of Bishambharpur, Sunamganj, grew BRRI dhan28 and 29 on 8 bighas, got 10 to 12 maunds a bigha at a cost of 5,000 taka a bigha, and received 5,500 taka.
• Bikash Kumar of Netrokona said a katha yields 5 maunds selling at 450 to 480 taka, while growing, cutting and threshing a katha costs 1,800 to 1,900 taka.

Farmers in Barishal, Brahmanbaria, Patuakhali, Rajshahi and Bogura said the same. Asked why they grow rice at all, they said rice is in their blood and they cannot afford other crops.

The government will buy paddy at 1,040 taka a maund, but preparations take time, and syndicated middlemen spread rumours to buy cheaply and stockpile. Directorate of Food figures show the government bought 799,966 tonnes of rice in Aman and 1,395,426 tonnes in the last Boro, 5.7 and 7.1 per cent of each season's output; Aus prices are not set. About 95 per cent of rice across three seasons stays in the open market.

Seraj urges market control so farmers and consumers are not held hostage by middlemen; earlier state procurement so farmers can sell at harvest, when they must repay input loans; mechanisation to tackle labour shortages for small and medium farmers; and farm prices that keep pace with other goods. He notes that China makes cakes and biscuits from rice, and rice could replace some imported wheat. If more farmers abandon rice, cropland and food security will suffer, and rice must stay at the centre of thinking about agriculture.

Source: Shykh Seraj. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.