Farmers in the haor region of Sunamganj are growing increasingly anxious about securing fair prices for their Boro paddy as harvesting continues in full swing across the district.
Although the government has fixed the procurement price at Tk 1,400 per maund, growers are alarmed by alleged price manipulation by organised syndicates and are urging authorities to dismantle these rackets.
Local farmers and agricultural leaders argue that if the government purchases paddy directly from remote areas in larger volumes, it would compel middlemen and rice millers to offer fairer prices-ultimately benefiting the producers.
As of Saturday, 24 percent of the Boro crop-across both haor and non-haor areas-has been harvested.
But, many farmers, pressed to cover rising harvesting expenses, are already selling their paddy to millers and advance buyers at lower prices.
Others are holding out in hopes that prices will improve once the government's procurement drive begins.
A farmer from the Muktikhola area in Bishwamvarpur upazila shared that he had accepted a Tk 50,000 advance, agreeing to supply dry paddy at Tk 1,000 per maund.
Another farmer, Mohibur Rahman, who expects to harvest around 150 maunds from both leased and owned land, said he plans to sell 120-130 maunds.
He hopes to sell at least one tonne to a government warehouse; otherwise, he will be forced to turn to private traders.
Mukul Roy, a farmer from Rahimapur in Jamalganj, said he is struggling to hire harvest workers or machinery and is negotiating with labourers from neighbouring areas, who are demanding upfront cash payments and a share of the crop.
Other farmers, like Samayun Ahmed from Tahirpur, complain about corruption in the procurement process.
He alleges that in previous years, political intermediaries controlled farmer ID cards and supplied rice on behalf of the actual producers, leaving genuine smallholders out of the system.
Agricultural activist Khairul Bashar Thakur Khan noted that farmers are currently selling wet paddy at just Tk 900 per maund in the fields.
He said if the government purchases even one or two tonnes per farmer, many marginal producers will benefit-unlike in past years when middlemen dominated the process. �"UNB
