Ahead of Eid-ul-Azha, the price of straw has suddenly risen in different parts of Rajshahi. The price of this staple cattle feed is now more than double that at any time before. Grass prices have also risen, with rain given as the reason, leaving farmers in trouble.

Checks at markets in Godagari, Charghat, Puthia and elsewhere in Rajshahi found straw selling at Tk 6-7 a bundle and grass at Tk 120 to 180 a bundle. In earlier Eid seasons grass and straw sold for about half these prices.

Sellers say heavy rain at the start of the season meant the rice could not be brought in on time. With no new straw produced, pressure on old stored straw has grown, creating a shortage in the market.

Faruk Hossain, a farmer in the char area, said the rain began just at harvest time. With water standing in the fields it was not possible to save the straw, so he now has to buy straw at double the price. It is the same with grass. There is demand for straw but supply is low, and some dishonest traders are taking extra profit from it, he said.

Godagari farmer Aminul Haque said buying the straw his cattle need every day at current prices is impossible. He is worried about how he will fatten them if feed is scarce.

Puthia farmer Hasibul Hasan said whenever he goes to the market he hears prices are high because of Eid. But if feed prices rise like this in the name of Eid, how will their farms survive, he asked.

Taufiq, a householder in Kashiadanga, said straw he bought for Tk 3,000 last year is being offered for Tk 6,000 this time, which is becoming impossible.

Md Shibli, a straw and grass seller at the Rajshahi City Haat, said hardly any new straw was available this time; all of it is old. Sellers too are buying at higher prices and so have to sell higher. They bought straw from wholesalers at Tk 6,500 per thousand bundles and are selling it for Tk 7,000 at Eid, a profit of Tk 500. Grass is not available because of the rain, so it too is selling at a higher price.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), however, about 6.5 to 7 lakh bundles of straw were produced in Rajshahi this season, weighing 491,725 kg, with a total market value of about Tk 22 lakh at Tk 4.5 each.

Sharmin Sultana, additional deputy director of the DAE in Rajshahi, said demand for straw is bound to rise at Eid-ul-Azha. Cattle are not reared in the city; village cattle are coming to the city, so there will always be pressure on straw, and some people are taking advantage of it.

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