Boro rice cultivation in West Bengal is likely to see lower acreage this year, and while the state government is yet to assess the expected decline in production, experts say the shortage will lead to higher prices.
While the state had set a target of 14 lakh hectare for the season, cultivation has been done on just six lakh hectare till the first week of February.
More than 30% of the cultivable area in Burdwan, which is one of the four high-productivity districts in the state, was left out till the first week of February.
Besides woes linked to irrigation facilities, sources say the bumper crop last year has proved to be a bane this season, with loads of rice remaining unsold across the state, thus leading to a lack of interest among farmers to produce more of it.
In fact, several farmers could not even realise the crop?s production cost during the Kharif season last year, and had to sell the crop incurring a net loss. On an average, the farmers were offered R520 for a 60 kg bag against the production cost R600-plus.
While the state government blames lower procurement on the confusion over the weeding out of the middlemen, rice mill owners say it was due to the government?s decision of cash-on-delivery.
?We are aware of what happened last year during the Kharif season, but that will not be repeated. We tried to weed out middlemen and encouraged farmers to sell paddy directly to rice mill owners. In some cases that created a confusion, but the farmers will gradually learn to live without them,? minister of food & supplies of the state government Jyotipriyo Mallick, said.
Most of the rice-growing districts in West Bengal don?t have enough rice mills and farmers have the choice of taking it to far-off places or sell it to the middlemen.
Last year, the state government tried to salvage the situation by paying transport costs to the farmers.
?Last year was an aberration and the farmers actually have no reason to get afraid of losses this Boro season,? a noted economist, and professor at Indian Statistical Institute, Ahirup Sarkar, said. Now, a fear of a similar situation has gripped the farmers in areas like Memari, Kalna, Ausgram, Mangalkot and Bhatar. They are not showing interest to sow paddy this year. In Bankura district, area under cultivation is likely to come down by 40% this year. Last year, paddy was sown on 3,500 hectare in Bankura. The area under cultivation will come down to 1,600-1,800 hectare this year.
High-growing districts like Nadia are likely to report lower acreage under Boro rice cultivation.
?The state produces 15 lakh tonne Boro on an average and we are hopeful that it will be around that level this year too, but the state government will have to come forward this time,? said president of the Bengal Rice Mills Association, Debnath Mondol. The state has procured 6 lakh tonne rice till the second week of February against 5.11 lakh tonne in the year-ago period.
Meanwhile, the central government has rejected the request of the cash-strapped state for the sanctioning of R1,000 crore towards procuring paddy and rice from the farmers.
?We have R50 crore for rice procurement and that is severely inadequate. With a kitty of R200 crore we could have easily procured 10 lakh tonne during the Boro season,? Mallick said.
