Workers jobless as falling paddy price keeps rice mills silent in Satkhira

14 January 2009, 18:00 PM

Our Correspondent, Satkhira

Over 300 rice mill workers, most of them female, have become jobless as many millers have stopped operating their mills allegedly due to loss from falling paddy prices. Transaction of paddy at Jhhowdanga Bazar, a big paddy market in the district, has dipped due to 'abnormal' fall of price of paddy. At least 21 auto rice mills at Jhhowdanga Bazar in the Sadar upazila are now closed. Talking to this correspondent, Jhhowdanga Bazar Banik Samitee secretary Abdul Hai said Jhhowdanga Bazar is one of largest paddy markets in south-western zone in the country, where over 3000 to 5000 bags of paddy used to be sold sell here daily. “Before the parliamentary polls, a 60 kg bag of paddy was sold at Tk 1000 to Tk 13000, which is now between Tk 800 and Tk 1100”, he said. Mill owner Zamal Naser said the mills absorbed around 6000 bags of paddy a day for husking but now farmers are not coming to the market with paddy as prices have fallen. Besides, traders are importing rice from Myanmar at cheaper prices, which the millers can not cope with, said. Many farmers also said paddy prices are below their production cost.