Bangladesh government’s plans to procure paddy from farmers through an online app has been delayed till May and is limited in scale, due to disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The government had planned to procure paddy over the “Krishoker App” as well as by regular means from April 26. The app was supposed to be used in one upazila each of every district.
However, the app will now only be used in one upazila each of 24 districts and will begin operating in mid-May at the earliest. The app will not be introduced in the other districts till next year.
A lottery will be held among farmers who register with the app to determine who can use it in the current season. The government began buying paddy by regular means from April 26, as planned.
In the current Boro season, the government will buy around 2 million metric tons of food crops such as paddy, rice, and wheat. 50,000 tons of paddy is scheduled to be purchased from farmers through the app.
While the wait for the app goes on, more than half the paddy has already been harvested in the Haor districts of Sylhet Division. Harvesting is also in progress in other districts, and millers may buy the paddy from farmers if the government delays too much.
According to the authorities, training modules and procedures for use of the app have already been developed, but they could only be completed in 24 districts due to the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, the government will only launch the app in these 24 districts, for now.
Abdullah Al Mamun, director (movement, storage and silo division) of the Directorate General of Food (DGF), said: “We had taken all preparations. We prepared the training module, schedule, and had plans to complete the process in March. However, due to the Covid-19 outbreak, we could not conduct training and other tasks in most of the districts. We have completed all procedures for 24 Sadar upazilas of 24 districts.
“We will take online applications for registration from farmers till May 7. After scrutinizing the applications, a lottery will be held to select farmers we will buy from. The farmers who get the chance to use the facility during the Boro season will be excluded in the Amon season, so that more farmers get a chance to sell paddy to the government at a fair price,” he added.
He estimated that the app would begin operation in the middle of May.
What is the process of online procurement?
Farmers will complete registration with the government developed Krishoker App in the first step. Subsequently, local agriculture offices will match the names of applicants to a list of farmers in the locality that they have made before.
After a sufficient number of farmers have applied and been scrutinized by local agriculture offices, upazila committees headed by the UNO will hold a lottery among the applicants to determine the final list of farmers who will be eligible to sell their paddy. Then the government will collect the paddy from the farmers on a scheduled day, and the farmers will collect payment from the bank.
Every farmer will get the opportunity to sell up to two tons of paddy.
Government to buy around 2 million tons of food crops
The government had decided to buy 600,000 tons of paddy, 1.15 million tons of rice, and 75,000 tons of wheat in the current Boro season. The price for paddy has been fixed at Tk26 per kg, rice at Tk36, and wheat at Tk28.
Upon instruction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the government decided to increase the amount of paddy they will buy to 800,000 tons.
The government started buying paddy from April 26 and will start buying rice from May 7. They will continue to buy until August 31.
Meanwhile, the government began buying wheat from the open market from April 15 and will continue to buy it until June 30.
