Rangpur, Nov. 14 -- As early Aman paddy is harvested and threshed across Rangpur, farmers are not only celebrating bumper yields and lucrative prices but also profiting from a soaring demand for straw, which has brightened their harvest season.

This year, the price of straw, an essential feed for livestock, has risen significantly compared to last year. Experts attribute the increase to an imbalance between supply and demand, adverse weather events, reduced paddy yields and the scarcity of grazing land.

Golam Mostafa, a farmer from Mominpur village in Rangpur Sadar, said, "Earlier, cattle could graze freely in the fields, but now almost no fallow or low-lying land remains vacant. As a result, dependence on cultivated fodder and straw ha...