43 citizens protest government's low paddy procurement from farmers amid bumper boro harvest

The country has set a target to produce around 30 million tonnes of paddy during the ongoing Boro season, which is expected to yield over 20 million tonnes of rice.

However, the food ministry has announced that it will purchase only 1.7 million tonnes of paddy and rice from the domestic market—0.3 million tonnes of paddy from farmers and 1.4 million tonnes of rice from the millers.

A group of 43 citizens from various professional backgrounds have issued a joint statement protesting this decision on Friday.

In a press release signed by writer and researcher Maha Mirza, the signatories stated that the government's plan to purchase a mere 300,000 tonnes of paddy is nothing short of a mockery to the farmers.

They pointed out that last year, the paddy procurement target was 0.6 million tonnes, which has now been halved. This indicates a policy shift favoring rice millers’ commercial interests, they alleged, as the government has chosen to procure more milled rice instead of paddy.

The citizens argued that this move is detrimental to farmers and called for an immediate revision of the government’s procurement strategy. They presented four key demands including revision of the paddy procurement target to 1.7 million tonnes, and it should be bought directly from farmers.

The total volume of paddy to be procured from farmers during the current Boro season should gradually be increased to 5.0 million tonnes in coming years.

They also demanded the government’s food storage capacity must be expanded from 2.1 million tonnes to 5.0 million tonnes within the next fiscal year.

The statement was signed by Professor Anu Muhammad, former chair of the Economics Department at Jahangirnagar University and member of the Committee for Democratic Rights; Anwar Faruque, former agriculture secretary; Dr. Moshaheda Sultana, faculty member at the University of Dhaka; Maha Mirza, part-time lecturer at Jahangirnagar University; writers and researchers Altaf Parvez, Pavel Partha, and Kallol Mostafa; Professor Mahmudul Sumon of Jahangirnagar University; Abu Lutf Faisal Rahim Khan, former managing director of Aftab Bahumukhi Farms Ltd; and journalist and researcher Sahanoware Said Shahin.

Other signatories include anthropologist and researcher Nasrin Khondokar; Nazneen Shifa, faculty member at Independent University, Bangladesh; Dr. Md. Harun-or-Rashid, former professor at Sir Salimullah Medical College; Md Nure Alam, lawyer at the Bangladesh Supreme Court; anthropological researcher Sayema Khatun; writer and BRAC University faculty member Dr Sharat Chowdhury; Ryan Hasan, Executive Director of NGO Forum on ADB; and several others.

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