Bagerhat, Feb. 23 -- Despite a good yield of Aman paddy in Bagerhat's saline-prone lands this season, government warehouses remain empty as farmers prefer private sales due to higher market prices, officials said.

They said the government had set the procurement price at Tk 1,320 per maund, whereas the market price ranged between Tk 1,400 and Tk 1,420 per maund. This Tk 100 disparity per maund has deterred farmers from selling their crops to government warehouses.

Besides, bureaucratic complexities and syndicates have further discouraged them from participating in the government procurement process. Despite this, the Food Department has managed to collect nearly 92% of its targeted rice procurement.

Farmers argue that the government sh...