Jibanagar Correspondent
Due to negligence and lack of coordination of the concerned authorities, the Paddy-Rice Procurement drive in Chuadanga is being badly hampered.
It is learnt, the farmers and the millers are reluctant to supply paddy and rice at the government godowns. As a result, though one month has been elapsed of starting of paddy-rice procurement drive, only 57 metric tonnes of paddy and 1,099 metric tonnes of rice have so far been procured at the government cellars in the district. However, no crop has so far been collected in Jibonagar upazila from the farmers through the lottery.
Deputy Commissioner Nazrul Islam Sarker informed, the concerned food department officials and the local administration were holding meetings with the farmers and the millers and due to some problem, the procurement of paddy and rice is being hampered during the Boro season.
Abdullah Sheikh, Chuadanga District Rice Mills Owners Association informed, if the millers supply rice to the government godowns at the present rate, they would incur Taka four crore ( 40 million) loss.
He complained, whenever farmers bring paddy to the government godowns, they are harassed and turned down by saying the paddy is wet.
Even, if the paddy is accepted by the godown officials, the farmers need to visit several times to the godowns for getting the price of the supplied paddy which is frustrating, time-consuming and expensive ( vehicle fare). Food godown authorities harassed the farmers on various pleas.
District Controller of Food office sources of Chuadanga district informed the government has set up a target of purchasing 5,310 metric tonnes of Paddy from 5,310 farmers and 7,605 metric tonnes of rice from 197 millers of the district during this Boro season. The paddy and rice procurement price is Taka 26 and 36 respectively.
