Boro procurement drive overlooks farmers’ interest

The Food Department seems to have neglected the agricultural backbone of the nation, its farmers.

A recent progress report of the Boro procurement drive initiated by the government has revealed that the department has procured only 130,085 tonnes of paddy against its initial target of 4 lakh tonnes from the Aman growers.

On the other hand, it procured 7, 46,136 tonnes of rice from millers against its promise of procuring 12.5 lakh tonnes, revealing a stark disparity.

This reveals a concerning trend of prioritizing millers over the small-scale farmers, which Agri economist Dr. Jahangir Alam Khan finds problematic.

He explained, “Most of the farmers sell their paddy from their field. Miller representatives buy the paddy from the field, but government representatives do not do the same.”

Dr. Khan noted that the government's mobile app procurement system is skewed towards elite farmers, further marginalizing general farmers.

He suggested that the government introduce a purchasing center at the grower’s level in the village, which could streamline procurement and meet targets.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumdar had announced on April 13 that the government intended to procure 4 lakh tonnes of paddy and 12.5 lakh tonnes of rice this Boro season. The fixed procurement prices were Tk 30 per kg for paddy and Tk 44 per kg for rice.

However, Reza Mohammad Mohasin, Director (In Charge) Procurement Division of the Directorate General of Food, shared that the procurement from farmers was low due to a higher amount of chitta and moisture in their paddy.

Farmers' lack of access to facilities to check the moisture content, which must not exceed 14 per cent, has also proven to be a significant hurdle.

Furthermore, allegations have surfaced regarding the compilation of the farmers' list by local political leaders, leading to the exclusion of legitimate farmers.

Monirul Islam, a farmer from Kushtia, expressed his discontent, highlighting the numerous hassles farmers face when selling to the government compared to local millers. He also lamented the discrepancy in market price and government fixed rate.

Alarmingly, despite having more than two months left in the procurement period, most of the paddy from farmers has already been sold out to middlemen and millers.

This occurrence highlights the urgent need for the government to reassess and adjust their procurement practices to provide equitable support to all farmers.