In Sunamganj, a maund of paddy sells for the price of just one kilo of seed as haor farmers face a costly Boro season

In Sunamganj, medium-quality paddy is selling for 600 to 700 taka per maund. Against that, one kilogram of good-quality paddy seed costs 600 taka. In other words, selling a full maund of paddy buys just one kilogram of seed. With haor yields down this year, farmers are already struggling to recover their cultivation costs, and collecting seed has put them in further difficulty.

According to the Sunamganj Department of Agricultural Extension, Boro will be cultivated this season on 223,521 hectares across the district's 137 large and small haors. Last year the district produced 856,944.12 tonnes of rice. The agriculture department has not yet set this year's production target or determined the number of farmers.

Farmer Md Muhibur Rahman of Rajinpur village in Fatepur Union of Biswambharpur upazila will grow paddy on his own 8 acres this year. Last year, cultivating that land gave him 250 maunds, although he had hoped for 450 maunds had there been no losses. His costs up to bringing the harvest home came to 190,000 taka.

Muhibur Rahman said he sold 50 maunds of well-coloured paddy at 900 taka per maund, but the rest, slightly darkened, fetched a wholesale price of only 600 to 700 taka. In his words, that will not recover his costs.

On buying seed, Muhibur Rahman said he has bought three varieties. He bought a 10-kilogram bag of BRRI-29 for 600 taka, Janakraj at 400 taka and Jirashail — 4 kilograms at 500 taka. Mitali-2 is selling for 600 to 650 taka per kilogram. He said that after spending so much, there is no price for paddy, and even though a maund of paddy now equals a kilogram of seed, he has still not received the government incentive.

The market picture for seed prices is much the same. In Tahirpur, Sunamganj, the best-selling seeds this time have been BRRI-67 and BRRI-28. The government price for those seeds is 630 taka for a 10-kilogram bag. Hybrid BRRI-8 is selling at the BADC-fixed rate of 320 taka per kilogram. Syngenta's 1203 paddy is selling for 460 taka, BRAC's Shakti-2 seed for 460 taka and National Agricare Limited's Janakraj for 400 taka per kilogram.

Seed dealer Samayun Kabir of Tahirpur bazaar said the district's largest haors, Shani and Matian, lie on either side of Tahirpur upazila town, and a great deal of Boro is cultivated in those two haors. But with paddy prices low, farmers have no joy in Boro cultivation. He said the price of a maund of paddy and a kilogram of seed are almost equal, and the bustle that seed markets saw at this time in previous years is absent this year.

Sunamganj food controller Ferdous Jahan said that across the Aman season, 3,668 tonnes of paddy will be procured in the district from next Sunday at 1,440 taka per maund. In the last Boro season, 20,000 tonnes of paddy were procured. She said the programme will run systematically in line with government instructions.

Even so, many farmers say buyers cannot be found in the haor area. They say many are selling their paddy at this price after going from buyer to buyer.

Md Ayna Mia, a large farmer of Haoria Alipur village by Hali Haor in Jamalganj, will cultivate paddy on about 54 acres this year. He has brought 50 bags of 10-kilogram BADC seed of varieties 92 and 67 at 600 taka. He has also bought seed of various varieties at 150 to 400 taka per kilogram. But he did not take the seed priced at 600 to 700 taka per kilogram, even though it was available.

Ayna Mia said the best paddy fetches 800 taka per maund, and slightly weaker paddy 600 to 700 taka. He asked how profitable Boro cultivation can be if a maund of paddy must buy a kilogram of seed. He also said there is no government incentive in the midst of this.

The agriculture department says not all farmers will receive the incentive this time, and the incentive has not yet arrived. Mohammad Omar Faruk, deputy director of the Sunamganj Department of Agricultural Extension, said seed that yields well will cost more. The seed for which a maund of paddy and a kilogram of seed cost the same is not produced in the country and comes from abroad, he said, adding that the department can do nothing about that. He said action will be taken if anyone charges more than the fixed price.

Md Yakub Bakht Bahlul, Sunamganj district president of the Haor Bachao Andolon, said the last season was one of water and this season is one of drought, and in between there is no price for paddy. With the price of one maund, not even a bag of seed can be bought, and there is no incentive either, he said. He alleged there are obstacles and rules even in selling paddy at the government-fixed price. He said a sustainable government initiative is needed to save farmers.