Farmers from across the country yesterday demanded the government purchase rice from them instead of from foreign sources.

They made the call at a sit-in organised jointly by Nagorik Sanghati and Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods (CSRL) in front of the National Press Club in the city.

The speakers said the government should buy rice from farmers to encourage them to produce crops and to create job sources for the small and marginal farmers to ensure food security.

They said the government's food monitoring and evaluation committee in the last week of November decided to buy rice from India and Vietnam instead of from domestic sources. "The decision will directly deprive the marginal farmers." Secretary General ofNagorik Sanghati Sharifuzzaman Sharif chaired theprogramme.