Bagerhat Correspondent:

Despite a good yield of Aman paddy in Bagerhat’s saline-prone lands this season, government warehouses remain empty as farmers prefer private sales due to higher market prices, officials said.

They said the government had set the procurement price at Tk 1,320 per maund, whereas the market price ranged between Tk 1,400 and Tk 1,420 per maund. This Tk 100 disparity per maund has deterred farmers from selling their crops to government warehouses.

Besides, bureaucratic complexities and syndicates have further discouraged them from participating in the government procurement process. Despite this, the Food Department has managed to collect nearly 92% of its targeted rice procurement.

Farmers argue that the government should facilitate easier collection by purchasing paddy directly from their homes. They also insist that the government procurement price should be higher than the market rate to encourage participation.

According to the Food Department, with the deadline of 28 February fast approaching, it is highly unlikely that any Aman paddy will be collected in Bagerhat. The collection period, which began on 17 November 2024, has set a target of 3,902 tonnes of paddy from nine upazilas of Bagerhat.

As of last Tuesday, not a single grain has reached the government warehouses.

The district’s Food Department had designated the following procurement targets: Bagerhat Sadar (409 tonnes), Morrelganj (1,139 tonnes), Rampal (505 tonnes), Sharankhola (478 tonnes), Mongla (160 tonnes), Fakirhat (284 tonnes), Mollahat (207 tonnes), Kachua (337 tonnes) and Chitalmari (383 tonnes).

Besides, the target for parboiled rice procurement from these upazilas was set at 3,304 tonnes, of which nearly 92% has been achieved.

Farmers cite their past experiences of difficulties in selling to government warehouses as another reason for their reluctance. Saifur Rahman Nathu, a farmer from Fatehpur village in Bemarta Union, has around 20 bighas of farmland producing both Aman and Boro paddy.

Last season, he attempted to sell his paddy to the government but failed due to excessive paperwork and restrictions. This season, he did not even consider trying.

Similarly, Tarun Kumar Pal, a farmer from the same village, cultivated Aman paddy on four bighas of land, yielding around 120 maunds.

He noted that the government warehouses impose strict quality checks, rejecting paddy with higher moisture content or even a slight presence of husks.

The cumbersome process of selling, coupled with the lower procurement price, led him to sell directly in the open market.

Even some farmers were unaware of the government procurement programme. Sheikh Muhammad Mizan from Baruipara village in Bagerhat Sadar Upazila said that after harvesting, traders came to his home and purchased his paddy on the spot. He had no information about government purchase schemes.

Acting District Food Controller Shakil Ahmed said that farmers need an agricultural card or a valid ID to sell paddy at government warehouses.

They also must obtain approval from the agricultural department before selling between 120 kg and 3,000 kg of paddy. The government has set a moisture content limit of 14%, and payments are directly transferred to the farmers’ bank accounts, he said.

Shakil Ahmed said that the failure to procure even a single grain of Aman paddy was due to market prices being higher than the government rate.

He also pointed out that the open-market economy allowed traders from the northern regions to buy up most of the paddy, reducing the availability for local procurement.

Bagerhat’s Deputy Director of the Agricultural Extension Department, Shankar Kumar Majumdar, said that this season saw Aman paddy cultivation over 73,234 hectares of land, yielding around 277,800 tonnes of paddy.

The district has a total of 244,328 farming families, of whom 147,000 cultivate Aman paddy.

He advised that government procurement should be made easier and more accessible for farmers.

As the deadline for government procurement approaches, it remains uncertain whether any paddy will be collected, according to the officials.

They said the persistent price disparity and bureaucratic hurdles continue to push farmers away from selling to government warehouses, reflecting a broader challenge in the agricultural procurement system.