TIKAPUR, Nov 9: The farmers of Kailali are forced to sell paddy cheaply as the government did not fix its price on time. They are selling rice cheaply to local traders.
Lok Bahadur Thakula, a farmer of Tikapur Municipality-8, said that he had to sell paddy at Rs 1,800 to Rs 2,200 per quintal. He complained that the government did not set the price of paddy on time and most of the farmers like him were in trouble.
He complained that the government sets the price only after the farmers sell all their paddy harvest. "The government sets the price only after we have sold the rice," he said.
Last year, the government had fixed the support price of paddy on November 4. However, the government has not taken any initiative to set the price of paddy this year. Last year, the government had fixed the price of paddy at Rs 2,735 per quintal for coarse paddy and Rs 2,885 per quintal for medium paddy.
Farmers compelled to sell paddy at cheaper rates
Paddy crop is the cash crop of farmers here. Every year, the farmers have not been able to get a fair price for the paddy they grow. They lamented that when they sell paddy at a low price, even the cost involved in producing is not recovered. Farmers who were suffering from not getting seeds and fertilizer on time said that they are feeling even sadder when they have to sell paddy at cheaper price.
Chunnu Lal Tharu, a farmer of Tikapur Municipality-7, said that they need to earn money by selling paddy. He said that money from the sale of paddy is used to buy fertilizers. “We don’t have any other business. The money we get from selling paddy is needed to support the family', he said. “The money we get from the sale of paddy is not even enough to buy fertilizer.”
Worse still, farmers living in the eastern part of Kailali are being harassed by floods. Floods during the rainy season destroy their rice fields. It flooded twice this year. Most of the farmers' paddy was washed away by the flood. They did not even get half of the paddy cultivation. Farmers are in trouble after not even getting a fair price for the rice they saved from the flood. They lamented that both natural calamities and the government have caused them suffering.
Krishna Bahadur Dhamala, a farmer of Tikapur Municipality-8 Sonahaphanta expressed his sorrow that traders are reluctant to buy rice from flood affected areas. He said, "They don't buy rice from flood-affected areas even at a cheap price.",
Meanwhile, Trader Birbal Chaudhary said that the rice in the flood-affected areas is not good. He said that as the rice is mixed with soil, other rice can be spoiled. Due to this, traders are facing problems in buying rice from flood affected areas.
The government has not yet taken any initiative to fix the price of paddy. Every year the government sets the price of paddy. After the government set the price of rice, Food Management and Trade Company Ltd will start purchasing paddy by putting rice depot in different places. “There is no official information about this yet,” said Injila Basnet, head of Food Arrangement and Trade Company Ltd, Dhangadhi.
She said that till now there is no decision about where to place the rice depot for purchasing paddy. "Until now, we have not received any information," she said. "After the government makes a decision, official information will come."
The eastern part of Kailali is famous for paddy production. Even though enough paddy is produced, the government has not even been able to bring any program for the farmers here. Farmers have been cultivating rice in the traditional way. They have to wait for the government's decision to sell the rice produced by their own capacity.
