Farmers across Dinajpur are facing financial loss as early-season Aman paddy prices have slumped in local markets despite a bumper harvest this year.
Trading has gained momentum at major haats including Dhukurjhari Bazar in Birol upazila and Gopalganj haat in Sadar.
However, growers say the prevailing prices are too low to cover rising production costs.
Local farmers including Shri Brajendra Nath Roy and Sukumar Biswas from the Bon Kali area of Chehelgazi union, along with Shahin Ali and Azadur Rahman from the Karnai area said they are far pushed to make a decent profit despite bumper yield.
Early Aman varieties such as BINA-7, BINA-17 and BINA-75 are selling for Tk1,025–1,075 per maund, while local varieties like Patharbhata and Kotrapari fetch Tk1,050–1,100.
In contrast, older Boro varieties including Shampa Katari and Bogura Katari are being sold at much higher rates Tk1,600–1,650 per maund.
“With fertiliser, irrigation, labor and transport costs so high, this price means we are selling at a loss,” farmer Kartik Chandra told TIMES at the markets.
Wholesalers attribute the price slump to increased competition from imported rice and the distribution of government rice under Test Relief and Gratuitous Relief programs.
The traders and wholesalers include Abul Kalam Azad, Ekram Talukdar and Abdur Razzak said “We can’t offer higher prices when rice sales in the market are already weak,” one trader explained.
Rice mill owners echoed similar concerns, saying that even when they purchase paddy, milling often proves unprofitable due to weak demand and the influx of subsidised government rice, which has further suppressed private market sales.
According to Upazila Agriculture Officer Rumman Akter, Aman paddy was cultivated on 28,927 hectares in Dinajpur this season, with a production target of 96,509 metric tons of rice. Harvesting and threshing have already begun in several areas and are expected to reach full swing within days.
