JOYPURHAT, Jan 30: T-Aman rice growers of the five upazilas of the district are upset due to excessive price fall in Joypurhat district.
They are forced to sell their produced paddy below the production cost as they need money for growing winter crops and Boro paddy though they would desire good market price this time.
A good number of farmers of Akkelpur, Kalai, Pachbibi, Khetlal and Sadar upazila have lost interest in cultivating paddy.
A small paddy trader Saiful Islam at Nischinta Haat said paddy prices fell suddenly in the middle week of this month. The merchants are not showing interest in purchasing and were storing paddy in their warehouses.
"I am severely upset at selling paddy at a price below the production cost," said Yakub Ali, 36, a farmer of Sadar upazila. "As I need money for farming other crops, I had to sell the paddy for less than the production cost," he said.
Rice mill owner Abdul Ali said there is no space in the warehouses for storing more paddy. As a result, they are not showing interest in purchasing both thin and course rice variety.
In a recent visit at Nischintapur paddy market under Khetlal upazila the correspondent found the growers are selling a maund of thin rice variety at Tk 650 to Tk 700. The wholesalers from adjacent area were not showing interest to purchase the course rice variety.
Before one month, the farmers sold a maund of fresh thin rice at Tk 750 to 820 but the price has come down to Tk 70 to Tk 100 for each maund from the middle of January, said Samsul Alom of Madhupur area under Khetlal upazila.
