Early varieties of Aman paddy have started appearing in the markets of Dinajpur, a district known as one of Bangladesh’s main grain baskets. However, despite bringing their harvest to market at the beginning of the season, farmers are yet to see any profit. Instead, many complain that the current prices do not even cover their production costs. On the other hand, buyers and traders claim that the price of paddy is too high for them to make a profit. As a result, all three parties — farmers, buyers and traders — are dissatisfied with the current market situation.
On Monday, trading at the Gopalganj market in Dinajpur Sadar upazila began at around 5:30am and continued until 11am. The market saw a bustling scene as early Aman varieties such as BINA-7, BINA-17 and BINA-75 were sold at prices ranging from Tk 1,025 to Tk 1,075 per maund. Slightly higher prices were offered for varieties like Kotrapari and Pathorbhata, which sold between Tk 1,050 and Tk 1,100 per maund. Meanwhile, older Boro varieties such as Shampa Katarai and Bogura Katarai were priced much higher, between Tk 1,600 and Tk 1,650 per maund.
Farmers argue that the current market prices are too low to recover their production costs. They point out that the prices of fertilisers and other agricultural inputs have already increased significantly. On top of that, labour costs have also risen, leaving them with little to no profit after selling their paddy. Some even say they are being forced to sell at a loss.
Traders and rice mill owners, however, reject these claims. They insist that the prices are already too high for them to make any margin. According to them, the recent import of rice from India has slowed down business in local markets, making it difficult to sell at a profit. They say that they, too, are facing losses under the current conditions.
According to data from the District Agriculture Office, Aman paddy has been cultivated on 260,860 hectares of land in Dinajpur this season. The production target has been set at 900,000 metric tonnes of rice. While the authorities are hopeful that this target will be achieved, many fear that without ensuring fair prices, farmers will continue to suffer despite a good harvest.
