Farmers to get fair price for rice: Agriculture minister

The price of rice will be fixed in such a way that farmers get a fair price, Agriculture Minister Mohammed Abdus Shahid said on Friday (19 April).

Besides, the government is implementing various initiatives to de-risk Haor crops, he said.

The Minister was speaking at the Boro Paddy cutting festival organized by the DC office and Agricultural Extension Department in Bahadurpur village of Sunamganj's Sadar Upazila on Friday.

Earlier, the minister distributed combine harvester machines among the farmers.

Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is providing combine harvesters and reapers to farmers with a 70% subsidy so that they can bring their crops within a short time.

Addressing the farmers, the minister said that as there is a risk of crops in Haor areas getting submerged, early and short-lived varieties of paddy should be cultivated.

"The production of new varieties of rice invented by scientists in Bangladesh is very high so cultivate them," added the minister.

Regarding the price of paddy, the minister said that the meeting will be held after two days to fix the price of paddy. It will ensure that farmers get a fair price. The price of rice will be determined in such a way that the farmers are encouraged to grow paddy, he said.

He said that strict attention should be paid to ensure that only real farmers can sell paddy at a fair price. "Upazila Chairmen should keep a close eye so that no syndicate is formed in the sale of paddy."

Former minister MA Mannan, lawmakers Mohammad Sadiq and Ranjit Chandra Sarkar, Secretary of Ministry of Water Resources Nazmul Ahsan, Additional Secretary of Ministry of Agriculture Malay Chowdhury, Chairman of BADC Abdullah Sajjad, Director General of Directorate of Agriculture Badal Chandra Biswas, Director General of Rice Research Institute Shahjahan Kabir, Director General of Atomic Agriculture Research Institute Mirza Mofazzal Islam, Deputy Commissioner Rashed Iqbal Chowdhury and others spoke.