Govt plans to buy boro paddy thru “Krishoker App”  

The government will buy Boro paddy from farmers at 22 upazilas during the Boro harvest season by using an App

The ministry of food has issued a letter to the food directorate in this regard.

The letter also reads that it has been permitted to collect paddy through the "Digital Food Grain Collection Management and Krishoekr App."

The upazilas are: Savar, Gazipur Sadar, Narsingdi Sadar, Manikganj Sada, Kishoreganj Sadar, Rajbari Sadar, Tangail Sadar, Mymensingh Sadar, Jamalpur Sadar, Sherpur Sadar, Bhola Sadar, Naogaon Sada, Bogra Sadar, Rangpur Sadar, Dinajpur Sadar, Jehnidah Sadar, Jashore Sadar, Habiganj Sadar, Moulvibazar Sadar, Brahmanbaria Sadar, Cumilla Sadar and Barishal Sadar.

According to the food ministry, paddy was purchased from farmers using the app in the last Aman season in 16 upazilas of 16 districts as an experimental move.

The ministry then decided that paddy from farmers in 64 districts and rice from millers in 16 upazilas (who sold rice through the app during the Aman season) will be purchased during the Boro season this year.

But the decision has been changed because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Now, Boro paddy will be collected digitally from 22 upazilas of 22 districts.  Among the 22 upazilas, 16 of them participated in this process in the last season. 

The Ministry of Food set the target and price of purchasing Boro paddy on April 7. According to the decision, the government will buy 6 lakh tonnes of paddy and 11 lakh tonnes of rice from the internal market.

Out of this, the government will buy 10 lakh tonnes of boiled rice at a price of Tk36 per kilogram and 1.5 lakh tonnes of Atap chal (a variety of rice) at a price of Tk35 per kilogram from millers. Besides, rice will be procured directly from the farmers at a price of Tk26 per kilogram.

The letter also reads that if the situation does not allow the procurement of rice and paddy from farmers through the digital method, then the district's collection and monitoring committee will follow the internal procedures to collect the rice and paddy using the traditional method.

Notably, the farmers will have to register to sell the paddy. They can apply to sell their paddy once the registration is approved. The application will be stored in the database.

Later, a team led by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer will conduct a lottery among the applicants. The selected farmers will get their allotment through an online procedure.

The selected farmers will get a text SMS on their cell phones about the confirmation.