Govt buying dry paddy, farmers in trouble with wet paddy
A target has been set to collect 18,330 metric tons of paddy from 13 upazilas of the district in the current season. However, wet or low-quality paddy will not be purchased under any circumstances, said Assistant Food Controller of Kishoreganj, Md. Mosharraf Hossain.
Many farmers in the haor areas said that the government will only buy quality, dry paddy. Due to this condition, farmers are facing serious difficulties.
As the paddy cannot be dried because of continuous rain, it is not possible to maintain the required moisture level. In addition, labour shortage has made it difficult to harvest the crop from the fields. Most of the paddy is wet, while the rest remains underwater. As a result, farmers now do not have any dry paddy; all harvested paddy is wet.
After speaking with haor farmers, it has been learned that most of the paddy in these districts is submerged. Some farmers have managed to harvest a portion of their crops, but due to a lack of sunlight, they are struggling to dry it. In some cases, farmers are boiling raw paddy to minimize losses. Under these circumstances, even though the government has started a paddy procurement campaign, farmers are unable to sell their produce.
In Kishoreganj, a government-run paddy procurement campaign has begun. According to the District Food Office, a total target of 18,330 metric tons of paddy has been set for the current season from 13 upazilas at a price of Tk 36 per kg (Tk 1,440 per maund). A farmer can sell a maximum of 75 maunds of paddy.
To prevent exploitation by middlemen, no cash transactions will be made; instead, the full payment will be deposited directly into farmers’ bank accounts. Officials believe this will ensure transparency. Paddy will be collected from both farmer cardholders and those registered with the agriculture office.
Although the haors were partially submerged in early April, farmers’ hopes have now been completely washed away due to waterlogging caused by a week of continuous rainfall. Meanwhile, the official paddy procurement campaign has already begun. The drive, which started on May 3, will continue until August 31.
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Kishoreganj said that at least 13,000 hectares of Boro paddy land in haor areas had gone underwater due to rain and flooding as of Tuesday, affecting around 50,000 farmers.
Meanwhile, Secretary of the Ministry of Disaster Management and Relief, Md. Saidur Rahman, visited the haor areas of Kishoreganj on Monday.
He said that the government will provide financial and food assistance in three categories to support farmers affected by continuous heavy rain and flash floods.
A list of affected farmers is being prepared in coordination with the Agriculture Department, and necessary assistance will be provided accordingly.
Most of the haors in Kishoreganj, Netrokona, Sunamganj, Habiganj, and Moulvibazar are now submerged in water. Beneath the water lies Boro paddy the only crop of the year for millions of farmers.
