The nationwide procurement of Boro paddy and rice began on Wednesday following health hygiene rules, including social distancing and masking up.
As the harvesting season is going on in full swing in different districts including Netrakona, Kishoreganj, Naogaon, Bogura, Dinajpur, Sylhet, Habiganj, Maulvibazar and Sunamganj of the country, the government has started purchasing Boro paddy from the marginal farmers directly at a fair price in order to avert any sort of irregularities in the agriculture sector. Boro paddy is being procured directly from farmers at Tk 27 per kg while the boiled rice is being procured at Tk 40 per kg and the non-boiled one at Tk 39 per kg.
Farmers are very much happy
as they are getting excellent
yields and fair prices
We think the government’s such procure system will help the farmers to sell their paddy at fair prices without any humiliations and harassments indulged in by middle-men. Besides, the authorities concerned must take immediate action against the syndicate of unscrupulous millers and traders who are now active to manipulate the procurement of Boro paddy despite expecting a good production this year amid Covid-19 pandemic situation.
The directorate general of food, a government department responsible for food management and policy, will collect 6.50 lakh metric tonnes of Boro paddy directly from farmers as well as 10 lakh metric tonnes of boiled rice and 1.5 lakh metric tonnes of non-boiled rice from the rice millers during the current Boro season.
We think the officials and employees concerned ought to be careful so that no farmer would be subjected to any sort of harassment while taking paddy to godown.
The government will also have to extend all sorts of support to the farmers to help them grow more food in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic alongside the measures to make sure that they will have food in their houses.