Kailali farmers await government support price for paddy
Bhajani: Farmers in Kailali are waiting for the Food Management and Trading Company Limited to begin purchasing paddy at the government-set support price.
Bandhuram, a farmer from Tikapur Municipality-4, sold part of his paddy at Rs 2,500 per quintal to cover household expenses during the festive season and is now waiting to sell the remaining stock at the support price. “Since it was not possible to meet household needs without selling some paddy, I had to sell 10 quintals at a loss,” he said. “If the food department had purchased paddy on time, I would not have lost Rs 10,000.”
This situation is not unique to Bandhuram. Many farmers across Kailali are facing similar hardships due to the delay in paddy procurement by the Food Management and Trading Company. Farmers are compelled to sell their paddy at low prices to meet immediate expenses and because they lack proper storage facilities. Shravan Tharu of Bhajani Municipality-3 said, “There are 30 to 40 quintals of paddy, but no place to store it. We are forced to sell it cheaply despite not even covering our costs.”
Another farmer, Jayaprasad Dhungana of Bhajani, expressed frustration, saying that the government has never understood the pain of farmers. “The government has failed to buy paddy on time at the support price it announces, whether it is Chaite or Barkhe paddy,” he said. “In this country, rights come only through protests, but farmers rarely protest, which is why our problems are ignored. Until the state addresses farmers’ issues, self-reliance will remain out of reach.”
Many farmers have yet to transport their paddy, hoping that the Food Corporation will begin purchases soon. Some have even left their harvests piled up in the fields. “The Food Management and Trading Company has never purchased paddy on time. This year will be no different,” said farmer Jit Bahadur Chaudhary. “I haven’t transported my paddy yet, waiting for the company, but it seems unlikely they will start soon. Now we may have to sell it at a cheaper rate again.”
As frustration grows, farmers and local stakeholders have urged the authorities to begin procurement immediately. During a discussion chaired by Kailali Chief District Officer Krishna Prasad Lamsal, stakeholders decided to request the Food Management and Trading Company to start purchasing paddy by Kartik 11 and to increase the procurement quota.
The government-owned Food Management and Trading Company purchases paddy at the rates fixed by the government. Once procurement begins, local traders also tend to raise their buying rates. The company has established six depots in Kailali—in Tikapur, Satti, Joshipur, Bhajani, Gauriganga, and Mohanpur in Dhangadhi—to facilitate the process.
Deepak Thapa, head of the company’s provincial office in Dhangadhi, said preparations are underway to begin procurement but the circular from the central office has not yet been received. “The procurement will start as soon as the center sends the circular with the quota determination,” he said. The center determines the quantity of rice to be purchased each year. For this season, the government has fixed the support price of coarse rice at Rs 3,463.81 per quintal and medium rice at Rs 3,628.33 per quintal.