Paddy stocks and fair price
More storage capacity for cereals needed, say experts
Special Correspondent, Dhaka
The government needs to increase the storage capacity for cereals and other food grains to one crore tonnes to ensure fair prices for farmers. The establishment of purchasing centres and an adequate number of silos would also help in this regard. Farmers have not been getting fair prices for their products. Despite spending Tk. 2022 to produce one kilogram of paddy, they are selling their crop for only Tk. 1213 per kg.
Some solutions were offered by speakers at a seminar on Fair price of paddy: Problems and proposal at the Jatiya Press Club yesterday. According to the Directorate General of Food, the government currently has a storage capacity of 21 lakh tonnes but can actually store 19.6 lakh tonnes of grain in public godowns across the country.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) revealed that at least 3.76 crore tonnes of paddy (Aus, Amon, and Boro) is produced annually across the country. However, silos and godowns are being constructed to increase the storage capacity to 27 lakh tonnes, sources said. The seminar was organised by Poribesh Bachao Andolan (POBA) with its chairman Abu Naser Khan in the chair. BARSIC director Syed Ali Biswas presented the keynote paper at the event.
Former lawmaker Chobi Biswas, POBA general secretary Abdus Sobhan, Krishak Samity adviser Jamal Haider Mukul, Haor Areas coordinator Dr Halim Dad Khan, agriculturist ABM Tauhidul Alam, and Krishak Federation president ASM Badrul Alam also spoke at the seminar. It is necessary to ensure the fair price of paddy as farmers have produced their products through hard work and by spending huge sums of money. Farmers are the main architects in helping the nation to become self-sufficient in food. But they are not getting fair prices for their products, Abu Naser Khan said.
The poor farmers of the country are playing vital roles in ensuring food security, he said, adding that at least 40 per cent of the total manpower of the country is involved in the agricultural sector, which contributes 14.23 per cent to the countrys gross domestic product (GDP). Farmers have been losing their confidence in the agricultural sector in recent days after not getting fair prices for their products. The government should decentralise the development works from the cities to rural areas to stop the trend of people shifting from rural areas to towns, he said.
He also suggested that the government should increase its storage capacity to at least one crore tonnes. According to food ministry sources, the ministry plans to set up 200 paddy silos for Tk. 6,000 crore in order to buy increased volumes of grain from growers with a view to protecting them from losses in case of a good harvest.
The initiative comes after calls from various sectionsincluding farmers, activist groups, and analyststo ensure fair prices for producers. The highest food grain stocks at public warehouses stood at 17.08 lakh tonnes, sources said. At present, there are five silos, 13 central storage depots, and 600 local supply depots situated at strategic locations all across the country.
