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Even after the start of a "promising" Boro harvest, the upsurge in rice prices continues in the market, raising concerns among consumers.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), about 10-12 per cent of the total 5.07 million hectares of cultivated land has been harvested, with the haor regions reporting around 50-per cent harvest rate.
The government has set the Boro output target at 22.4 million tonnes for the current season against the previous one's production of 21 million tonnes, according to official figures.
Among the cropping zones, the Rangpur division produced the highest 5.0 million tonnes of rice last season, followed by Mymensingh with 3.2 million tonnes.
Boro has been cultivated in 0.223 million hectares of land in Sunamganj this season, including 0.165 million hectares in haor areas, DAE Deputy Director (acting) Mostafa Iqbal Azad told The Financial Express.
He also said around 51 per cent of the total cultivated Boro crops has already been harvested in Sunamganj.
A total of 894 combined harvesters are operating in full swing in the district, aiming to complete harvest by May 7, he said.
On the other hand, the harvest of over 10 per cent of the total crops has been completed in the non-haor or plain land across the country, added the DAE official.
DAE Deputy Director in Netrokona Mohammad Nuruzzaman told The Financial Express about 61 per cent of the total Boro harvest has been completed in the district, with 41,000 hectares in haor areas.
He also pointed out that field-level paddy prices vary between Tk 1,050 and Tk 1,120 a maund (37.32kg).
The DAE official further said farmers are not able to sell paddy to the food directorate due to non-fulfilment of the required moisture contamination.
Still, prices are Tk 60-80 higher per maund in the region than last year, he claimed.
Meanwhile, the harvesting rate in Kishoreganj, another haor-dominated cropping zone, was reported at 42 per cent.
Dr Md Sadiqur Rahman, deputy director of DAE in the district, said Boro has been cultivated in 0.104 million hectares of lowland in Kishoreganj.
SM Nazer Hossain, vice president of the Consumers Association of Bangladesh (CAB), alleged that millers and traders were capitalising on a "supply shortage" of rice in the market caused by flooding in the last Aman season.
Coarse and medium varieties of rice are now selling between Tk 65 and Tk 70 a kg, while the prices of finer varieties have jumped to Tk 90-125 a kg in Dhaka. Hossain said rice prices rose by 25-35 per cent in the market over the last six to eight months.
He suggested strict monitoring of the official paddy purchase drive and rice trading by big millers to help stabilise prices in the market.
Prof Golam Hafeez Kennedy, secretary general of the Bangladesh Agricultural Economists Association, said the current Boro season's output looks promising due to favourable weather and effective management.
He expressed his optimism about fulfilment of the government's Boro output target this season if favourable conditions prevail for another one and a half months.
The professor also stressed the need to increase the food directorate's storage capacity from the existing 2.2-2.5 million tonnes to at least 4.0 million tonnes as a strategic reserve.
According to him, direct paddy purchases from farmers can pave the way for helping regulate rice prices in the market.
"Large millers would continue to dominate the rice market unless farmers' bargaining capacity is ensured," he said.
The government has plans to procure 1.7 million tonnes of rice and paddy this season, with 0.3 million tonnes to be collected directly from farmers.
The present official stock of rice is estimated at 0.88 million tonnes, officials said, adding that an additional 1.0 million tonnes are expected to be imported by December 2025.
Private traders have imported nearly 0.5 million tonnes of rice so far in this financial year, said the food ministry.
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