During this late-autumn season Aman paddy harvesting and threshing festival is going on in all the fields of the country.
However, as the prices of essential commodities including onions, chilies and vegetables are out of reach, the celebration of Nabanna Utsab, a festival of harvesting and eating new crop is less festive this year in the rural areas of Rangpur, which is known as the granary.
Nonetheless, if all goes well the agriculture department is expecting a crop production of Tk 6,200 crore in the Rangpur agricultural region this time.
Visiting different areas of the district it was seen, the northern fields are covered with golden paddy. The traditional scent of ripe paddy has spread in the air.
Now the festive mood is prevailing centering new rice being taken home. There is no farmer-farmer sitting.
Some farmers were cutting paddy; some were threshing them in the arrangement of Nabanna Festival. The housewives are making rice from paddy in Dheki or Urun-Gain.
Read more: 17 Bangladeshi held while illegally returning from India
The work of cutting and threshing Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) paddy is going on day and night. The village environment seems to have changed with the sound of foot-operated paddy threshing machine.
However, the festive atmosphere surrounding the new paddy harvest of other years has not been noticed this time. Farmers say the yield of Aman has been good this year as there was no disaster. Yet they have no peace of mind.
They say that even though the market for daily commodities is skyrocketing, there is no fair price for hard-earned crops.
Many people including Nazim Uddin, Sabu Mia of Khatkhatia area of Rangpur city, farmer Lokman Hossain, resident of Mominpur Masterpara of Sadar upazila, Anisur Rahman and many others said that the cost of Aman paddy has increased due to insufficient rainfall this season.
For land preparation, fertilizer, seeds, pesticides, cutting and threshing cost was Tk 10,000 per Bigha. Depending on the variety of paddy, per mound of paddy is being sold in the market at Tk 700 to 800, they added.
They further said, excluding the cost of production, the loss in per Bigha is at least Tk 2,000. This has shattered their dream of selling paddy and planting new crops. In addition, they are stuck in a debt trap. They also demanded an increase in the price of paddy in the market on an emergency basis.
Meanwhile, Aman has been cultivated in 614,295 hectares of land in five districts: Nilphamari, Rangpur, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Gaibandha of Rangpur agricultural region this season. The production target has been set at 17 lakh 19 thousand 231 metric tonnes of rice. Its average market value is about Tk 6 thousand 200 crore.
Touhidul Iqbal, Additional Director of Rangpur Region, Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said the area of Aman farming has increased this year due to favorable weather, so the yield has increased too.
Discussions have been held in various government departments including district administration, food department and consumer rights already to ensure proper market price, he added.
