Supply Chain Council of European Union | Scceu.org
Procurement

Expedite the process of Aman procurement

The slow pace of Aman procurement by the government this year is worrisome. Reportedly, although the government had promised to procure Aman directly from the marginal farmers, the state-sponsored procurement programme could not start on time because of the Department of Agriculture Extension’s (DAE) delay in preparing the list. As a result, the Regional Food Controller’s Office in Rangpur could procure only 3,865 tonnes of paddy until December 9 against the government set target of 126,883 tonnes in this harvesting season. If the government fails to expedite the pace of procurement it will be really difficult to achieve the target.

Moreover, the slow pace of procurement will have a disastrous impact on the price of paddy. Already paddy price in the local market is very low—Tk 16 per kilogramme. This is very unfortunate because the Ministry of Food announced to procure paddy at a price of Tk 26 per kilogramme this season. Needless to say, the farmers could have gotten better price if the government started procuring paddy earlier. Also, the lottery system through which the government selects the farmers to buy paddy from does not seem like a well-thought-out decision.

What is more, the government’s failure to procure paddy timely will make it easy for the middlemen to come in and buy from farmers at a much lower price. This is what happens every year: even after getting a good yield, and despite the demand, the farmers are deprived of the fair price of their produce.

Under the circumstances, the government should expedite paddy procurement process. Since the list of the farmers has already been made, it should not take much time to buy from them now. At the same time, the government must also ensure that the farmers get the government-fixed price for their produce.  

 

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