Despite a bumper yield of the early variety of Aman paddy, farmers in Dinajpur are facing severe frustration as they fail to get a fair price for their produce at the outset of the season, raising fears of significant financial losses.
Farmers at wholesale markets like Dhukurjhadi Bazar in Birol and Gopalganj Hut in Sadar upazila reported that while trading is bustling, the current prices are too low to even recover their production costs.
The markets are active from 5:45 AM until 11:00 AM, with farmers arriving with their paddy on various vehicles. However, the prices are disheartening. Early varieties such as Bina-7, Bina-17, and Bina-75 are selling for Tk 1,025 to Tk 1,075 per maund (approximately 37.3 kg), while Pathorbhata and Kotrapari varieties are fetching Tk 1,050 to Tk 1,100 per maund.
Farmers in Distress
Multiple farmers expressed their despair, stating that selling paddy at these rates makes it impossible to see a profit and difficult to recoup their initial investment. This situation continues a long-standing challenge for paddy growers in the northern region, who have historically struggled with low market prices against rising production costs .
Wholesalers and Millers Point to Government Imports
Wholesalers and millers attribute the price slump to an increased supply of government-sourced rice in the market. They argue that the influx of imported rice, along as well as government-distributed Test Relief (TR) and Gratuity Relief (GR) rice, has reduced demand for their own products. With their sales down, they claim they cannot afford to buy paddy from farmers at higher prices.
Some buyers also mentioned that despite the need to procure raw paddy to run their mills, the high price of paddy compared to the controlled price of government rice makes the purchase uneconomical.
Official Outlook and Lingering Questions
When contacted, Upazila Agriculture Officer Rumman Akhtar confirmed the excellent harvest. "The yield of Aman paddy is bumper this year," he said, adding that harvesting and threshing are ongoing in some areas and will be in full swing shortly. He stated that Aman has been cultivated on 28,927 hectares of land in the district, with a production target of 96,509 metric tons of rice.
However, the critical question remains: if a bumper harvest is not enough to ensure farmers' prosperity, what measures will be taken to protect their interests? The farmers of Dinajpur are now anxiously waiting to see if the administration will intervene to ensure a fair price, as the combination of a supply glut and low market prices threatens to turn their success in the field into a failure at the market.
