Farmers in Fulbari upazila of Dinajpur are facing losses from early Aman rice as market prices have fallen below production costs despite a good harvest.
Harvesting and threshing of early Aman varieties have begun in the upazila. Farmers said rising costs of fertiliser, seeds, pesticides, irrigation and labour have pushed production costs above Tk20,000 per bigha.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension, Fulbari has set a target of cultivating Aman on 18,150 hectares of land this season. Of this, 1,650 hectares have been planted with early-maturing varieties, with an estimated production of 8,415 tonnes.
The varieties mature within 90-110 days, allowing farmers to cultivate potatoes and later maize on the same land.
Farmers in several villages said they are getting 18-22 maunds of rice per bigha. However, paddy is currently selling for Tk750-Tk900 per maund, depending on the variety. This means farmers are earning around Tk17,000-Tk19,000 per bigha, resulting in losses of about Tk2,000-Tk3,000 against production costs.
Farmers said they are being forced to sell at the low prices to prepare for potato and winter vegetable cultivation, repay agricultural loans and meet household expenses.
Representatives of Fulbari’s rice wholesalers and mill owners said paddy prices have dropped by Tk200-Tk300 per maund over the past few weeks. They attributed the decline to adequate rice supplies and the availability of imported rice, which they said has reduced demand for locally produced paddy.
Shahanur Rahman, additional agriculture officer at the upazila agriculture office, said the department has no authority to determine or regulate paddy prices. “However, the government has provided farmers with free seeds and chemical fertilisers, along with necessary advice, to help reduce production costs,” he said.
The price gap has left marginal farmers worried about financing potato and winter vegetable cultivation in the coming season.