Kailali. Santalal Chaudhary Chaite of Bhajani Municipality-3 in Kailali is worried about not selling paddy. He has not been able to sell the paddy planted on three bighas this year. Despite pleading with the traders to buy paddy, the paddy produced by him has not been sold.

“Traders look for cheaper paddy. Selling paddy at the rate they say does not bear its own cost. He said, “I am regretting planting paddy these days. Although the government has fixed the support price of chaite paddy, traders are not interested in purchasing paddy from farmers at that price. While farmers are selling paddy for Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 per quintal, some farmers have not been able to sell paddy at that time.

Dallu Das, another farmer, said farmers who got Rs 3,800 per quintal last year are finding it difficult to sell paddy this year due to the increase in production. “Last year, I had sold rice at Rs 3,800 per quintal. He said, “This year, farmers are pleading with the traders to sell paddy there. According to him, many farmers have also given paddy to the traders. Dallu said that the farmers started selling paddy to the traders even though there was no guarantee of when the money would be received.

Agriculture Budha of Lalbhojhi of Bhajani Municipality-5 complained that the paddy produced by him had to be forcibly handed over to the traders. He said that there was a compulsion to sell the goods produced in cash. “It costs around Rs 18,000 to plant chaite paddy on one bigha of land. There is no market to sell the produced paddy. Even if you have to sell to someone, you have to sell it for less than the cost. He said, “If the government had made arrangements to purchase paddy at least the same rate, the farmers would not have been discouraged.” ’

Chaite paddy was cultivated in more than 1,000 hectares of land in Bhajani this year. Pardeshu Chaudhary, a farmer, said that although the attraction of farmers in terms of production is increasing every year, marketing is always deceiving. Stating that he had expanded paddy to two bighas this year after getting a good rate last year, he said he was regretting expanding it now. “The attraction of farmers is increasing due to good production. “There is a possibility that the production will decrease in the coming year due to problems for the sale of paddy produced,” he said. ’

Due to the beginning of the year, the farmers have been facing challenges in managing the paddy produced. Bhajani, which is at high risk of flooding and inundation, is submerged in normal rains. Farmers have another concern about where to manage the paddy produced after drowning. “If traders do not purchase paddy on time, there is concern about where to keep the produced paddy. Bhojraj Kathariya, a local, says, “When the house is flooded during the year, we have to go to the postal road on our own. If the grains kept for eating cannot be saved, then how can we manage so much paddy?”

The paddy produced by many farmers is still on the postal road. Farmers are looking for traders without taking paddy home as there is no place to keep it in the house. Traders are looking for a stake to buy paddy cheaply by putting pressure on the farmers. “We are very worried about the problems faced by farmers. The problem has not been solved even after pleading with every body. Mayor of Bhajani Municipality Kewal Chaudhary said, “We have been requesting the state government, salt training and the federal government to purchase paddy produced by the farmers. ’

He also urged the government to facilitate paddy procurement by fixing the support price of paddy. “Hundreds of quintals of paddy have been produced today. Traders have taken advantage of the government’s failure to procure paddy. “Today, farmers are forced to sell paddy at a price lower than the cost, so how can that farmer get excited in agriculture tomorrow?” he asked. Due to the paddy zone, the expansion of rice in Bhajani this year had increased compared to the past.