SZ Kabir: From now the Government of Bangladesh will buy paddy & rice directly from the farmer in the absence of irregularities and corruption. The paddy will be purchased from the current Amon season through an app called 'Farmer's Apps'. The experiment has been undertaken in 16 upazilas in the country. It will be spread across the country in phases. According to sources, the farmers complain of irregularities and corruption in collecting paddy of the government from the domestic market every year. The farmers for whom this collection campaign was deprived of its benefit. To overcome this problem, the initiative is taken to purchase paddy & rice directly from the farmers online. Sources said that for so long, the real farmers were the cornerstones to feed the government's warehouse in the struggle of brokers and political influences. They were constantly harming the crop. But for the last decade, the farmers have been steadily increasing the production of paddy. Earlier this year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) said that Bangladesh's rice production was the highest in the world this year. In the last few years, the economic survey shows that the total rice production in the country in the financial year 2015-16 is 3 crore 47 lac tons, in the fiscal year 2016-17 is 3 crore 38 lac tonnes, the production is 3 crore 62 lac tons in the fiscal year 2017-18. This year, rice production will surpass the record, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said. The World Bank has said that due to the bumper yield of rice for several consecutive years, agricultural growth is increasing. But there is no improvement in the quality of life of the farmer. Their fate does not change. According to the agricultural census of 1996, the number of small and marginal, medium and large farmers was 79.87, 17.61 and 2.52% respectively. Small and marginal farmers produce paddy high yielding loans with high interest rates. They harvest it and sell it immediately. If rice is not available at a reasonable price during this time, then they sat down one way. Those concerned have said that the effective management of paddy-rice collection from the internal market of the government was not established because it was not working for the farmer. Despite collecting 8 lac tons of rice in the last Aman season, there was no positive effect on the rice prices in the market. Then, during the last Boro season, the government bought 12 lac tons of rice but the fate of the farmers has not changed. This is why this initiative is taken directly through the season online. In this regard, Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder, MP said, the days of brokers-farriers in supplying farmers' rice to the government warehouse are over. From now online rice will be purchased directly from the farmer. At the ceremony of fertilizer and seed distribution among the farmers in Saphaara, Naogaon on November 23, 2019 the food minister said that by applying online, the farmers would be able to supply rice to the government warehouse without hassle. He said paddy would not be bought from anyone except the actual farmers. Neither political leaders nor influential people will be allowed to purchase paddy-rice. The Ministry of Food has said that a monitoring team has already been formed to monitor the procurement of paddy and rice. Teams will collect paddy and rice throughout the country and monitor market prices. It is to be noted that in the current Amon season, the government will buy 6 lac tons of paddy at the rate of Tk. 26/kg from the domestic market. Besides, the government will collect 3 lac tons of boiled rice at the rate of Tk. 36/kg and 50 thousand tons of non-boiled rice at the rate of Tk. 35/kg. The collection operation has been started since November 20. It will run until February 28, 2020. Source: Online / SZK
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