Deputy Commissioners on Tuesday have were asked to ensure procurement of paddy directly from marginal farmers in their respective districts. Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder came up with this directive at the first session of the third day of ongoing Deputy Commissioners’ Conference at Cabinet Division at the Secretariat.
Notable, the instruction came at a time when, according to media reports, the country’s farmers suffered huge losses during the just-ended boro harvest as the wholesale prices offered at markets did not even cover the production cost. “The government will buy 4 lakh metric tonnes of paddy from farmers during the current boro season. We have already procured 1 lakh metric tonnes till Monday,” after the session, the minister told the media.
The minister said an office of the Bangladesh Food Safety Authority will be opened in every district to ensure that people get safe and pure food. Asked about probable food crisis following the current flood in different districts, he said there is no crisis. “We have enough food grains in stock. We have not only food, but relief also. We’re ready to face any situation.”
Earlier, the government has taken decision to export surplus rice as there is a bumper production this year. Country’s farmers had a bumper yield this year after a favourable weather, adequate rain in February-March and lack of insect attack helped the paddy grow abundantly. According to experts, the country will have to take initiatives to increase export of rice to foreign market.
As neigbouring countries like India, Myanmar, Vietnam and Thailand have self-sufficiency in rice, they do not need to import it from Bangladesh, the experts said, adding “So, the country will have to explore new markets to sustain its agriculture sector.” They suggested that the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, a specialised agency of the United Nations that leads international efforts to defeat hunger, can be a potential target for Bangladesh to export rice.
“If Bangladesh can convince the UN to export rice to the organisation, it will be a success story for the country,” they predicted. Besides, in every season, the government fixes prices of crops adjusting with the production cost so that the farmers can get the fair price. On the other hand, country’s farmers’ hopes were dashed in many ways due to a drastic fall in paddy price, wiping the smile off their faces.
They had a bumper yield this year as a favourable weather, coupled with the lack of insect attack and rain in February and March helped the rice grow abundantly, according to the DAE and experts. The farmers are selling one maund (40kg) paddy between Tk 450 and Tk 500 at their respective local markets throughout the country against the average production cost of Tk 650-700. The farmers in different places across the country continued to hold protest rallies and form human chains demanding fair price of the paddy.