Despite good Aman yield, low price dissatisfies farmers in Ishwardi

Ishwardi (Pabna) Correspondent :
Golden rice grains are swaying in Ishwardi in the frosty wind of Hemant. This time, there has been a bumper Aman production. The bumper yield is supposed to put a smile on the face of the farmer. But the farmers are not satisfied with the current market price of rice.
This time, due to the increase in the production cost of rice, farmers are not able to profit. Local farmers and Agriculture Department, this informed this . According to the Directorate of Agricultural Extension, 3,615 hectares of Aman rice has been planted in Ishwardi during the Aman season. Due to low rainfall, the cultivation of 275 hectares of land has decreased. Farmers have started harvesting Aman paddy in fields. Many have left the paddy in the field to dry. Some are threshing. Meanwhile, the wages of workers have increased. Farmers are also selling paddy to meet the cost of wages.
Adam Ali, a farmer of Ista village, said that he has cultivated paddy on 10 bighas of land. Even if the yield is good, the production cost is not profitable. The yield is 15-18 maunds per bigha. The price of paddy is now 1200 to 1350 taka per maund. Even then rice has to be cultivated. Amjad Hossain, a farmer of Sultanpur village in Dashuria, has grown paddy on seven bigha land. The yield has also been good. After cutting and threshing the rice, the rice is brought to the house. He said that there will be no profit as the cost of fertilizers and pesticides are high and the cost of irrigation is high this time. Zainal Abedin, another farmer of Istar, said that due to lack of rain, water had to be given with shallow machine this time. Besides, the cost of cultivation has almost doubled as compared to other times due to increase in the cost of fertilizers and pesticides. But the price of rice did not double.
Sub-Assistant Agriculture Sujan Kumar Roy said that the yield of Aman has been good in the upazila. Bri-47 variety of rice has been planted here. The yield is 18 to 19 maunds per bigha. I hope the farmers will benefit as the yield is good.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Mita Sarkar said that the rice yield has been very good in the current planting season. Farmers will benefit as the yield is good. However, this year the production cost is more than other years, he said.