SUKANTA HALDER

The government has kept Boro paddy procurement price unchanged this season, even though farmers say their cultivation costs have risen.

The food ministry will buy 5 lakh tonnes of paddy at Tk 36 per kg during the current Boro harvest season, the largest rice crop in Bangladesh. Last year’s procurement target was 3.5 lakh tonnes.

It will also buy 12.5 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice at Tk 49 per kg.

The nationwide procurement drive for paddy, rice, and wheat will run from May 3 to August 31, Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed announced after a meeting of the Food Planning and Monitoring Committee (FPMC) at the Secretariat.

The announcement comes as farmers begin harvesting the highly irrigation‑dependent crop, particularly in the northeastern Haor region, where costs have climbed following a hike in diesel price.

In its latest Foreign Agricultural Service report, the US Department of Agriculture said farmers in the northern part of the country reported that labour wages were particularly high this year, especially during the peak period of rice transplantation.

Agriculture ministry estimates put the production cost of Boro at Tk 32.97 per kg this season, up marginally from Tk 32.96 last year. Farmers, however, say the figure does not reflect reality.

“I am worried about how I will cover the losses I will incur this year,” said Mohammad Saidur Islam, a farmer from Azmiriganj in Habiganj, who cultivated Boro on 15 acres of land.

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