Sylhet Food deptt to procure paddy from farmers

A target of 42,984 tonnes has been set for the division comprising four districts, an official at the divisional food office informed on Wednesday.

The division’s target includes 16.342 tonnes in Sylhet, 11,255 tonnes in Moulvibazar, 8,269 tonnes in Habiganj and 8,118 tonnes in Sunamganj.

As per the government decision the food department would purchase the grains from farmers directly, the official said.

Initially a list of farmers alongside their quantity of paddy would be prepared at upazila level committees, headed by the UNO with members form the Agriculture department and others. The Food department would buy paddy on the basis of that list.

It would help the farmers to supply to the government depots. The price for per kg paddy has been set at Tk 26, the official said, adding, the upazila level committees would soon sit for preparing the farmers’ lists, while the harvest has begun on many places. However, it would in a start big way in a week or two all over.

The programme would continue till end of February.

“We hope the target would be fulfilled due to the market prices”, an official said.

It may be stated here that, the Food department had procured the rice from millers last year depriving the farmers causing commotion among them. That had been dropped this time.

The DAE officials, meanwhile, said the production would be over 1.1 metric tonnes of T-Aman paddy this year due to good yield, although there was some sporadic attack of pests in different areas.

In the last year the government had procured 25,682 tonnes of rice from only the contracted millers in the region during the Aman season. The farmers’ demand for supplying paddy to the food depots remained unmet.