Chhatra Hat of Niamatpur Upazila of Naogaon. Photo: Collected
In Naogaon, a district famous for paddy and rice production, there is a bumper harvest of Aush paddy this time, but the farmers are not happy. Because the farmers are not covering the cost of production by selling Aush paddy. They are now disappointed because they are not getting the price.
After checking various markets in Naogaon, it was found that Jirashail, Katari and Bri-28 varieties are being sold for 800 to 950 taka per maund. Farmers say that compared to last year, paddy is being sold for 300 to 400 taka less than last year. However, the cost of paddy production has increased compared to last year due to the increase in fertilizer, seeds, irrigation, pesticides and labor wages.
Meanwhile, although farmers are suffering losses by selling paddy, it has not affected the prices of various rice crops in Naogaon. Thick and thin varieties of rice are being sold at the same price as before.
According to the District Agricultural Extension Department, last season, Aush paddy was cultivated on 51,300 hectares of land in the district. This time, the cultivation has increased to 58,573 hectares. The farmer spends 64,000 taka per acre to produce paddy. Accordingly, the cost per bigha is 21,000 taka.
Talking to some farmers of Naogaon Sadar, Mahadevpur, Manda and Niamatpur upazilas, it was learned that a large part of paddy production is spent on labor wages, fertilizer, irrigation and land preparation. This time, the cost per bigha of land is more than 20,000 taka. The yield of paddy per bigha has been 20 to 22 maunds. By selling paddy at 800 to 900 taka per maund, the farmer is getting 17 to 19,000 taka per bigha. This does not cover their production costs.
Talking to several local farmers, it was learned that immediately after harvesting the paddy, in addition to paying family and loan payments, they have to meet various other needs. As a result, many farmers were forced to sell paddy even though the market price was low.
Last Wednesday (September 02, 2026), farmer Anwar Hossain from Dangapara village of the upazila came to sell 10 maunds of Jirashail paddy at the paddy market in Mahadevpur Upazila Sadar of Naogaon. When asked how much he sold the paddy, Anwar Hossain said with a dirty face, "What else will happen after hearing the price? No matter how much he writes in the papers, no one sees the suffering of the poor and the poor. I bring the paddy to the market for 30 taka van fare per maund. If I took this paddy back without selling it, I would have had to pay another 30 taka van fare. So I was forced to sell 10 maunds of paddy at 880 taka per maund. Whereas last year, I was selling Aush paddy for 1,300 to 1,400 taka per maund."
Farmer Selim Hossain from Gobindapur village of the upazila came to sell paddy at Chhatra Haat of Niamatpur Upazila on Wednesday. He said that he has taken three bighas of land in rent and cultivated Aush rice. For this, he has also taken a loan from the association. In total, he has spent about 60 thousand taka on cultivating three bighas of land. Due to the fall in the price of rice, he is now extremely worried about repaying the loan and meeting the family expenses.
Shahidul Islam, proprietor of M/s Rekha Dhan Aart in Chhatra Bazar of the district, said that currently the price of rice in the market has fallen. In a span of one and a half weeks, the price of rice per maund has fallen by 200 to 300 taka. The price has been falling since Aush rice came to the market. Currently, Katari rice is being sold at 900 to 960 taka per maund, Jirashail at 850 to 900 taka. And Bri-28 variety rice is being sold at 800 to 820 taka.
Deputy Director of the Naogaon Department of Agricultural Extension, Manzur Rahman, said that the average cost of producing Aush paddy per acre in the 2026-27 fiscal year was 64,000 taka. If paddy was sold at 1,200 to 1,300 taka per maund, farmers would have made a profit.
Meanwhile, even though the price of paddy has decreased, it has no impact on the local rice market. According to the owners of rice mills in Naogaon, there is sufficient rice stock in the country due to the bumper paddy yield in the last Boro season and additional rice imports during the interim government. Due to this, rice sales in factories have also decreased. Due to the decrease in sales, millers have reduced the purchase of paddy.
General Secretary of the Naogaon District Rice Mill Owners Group, Farhad Hossain Chakdar said that a large amount of rice was imported during the interim government. Due to this, the demand for rice produced in the country has decreased. This effect of rice import will continue even during the full Aman season. And if that happens, farmers may be deprived of the fair price of paddy even during the Aman season.
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