Despite bumper yields during the current Aus paddy season, growers in Naogaon—one of Bangladesh’s primary grain-producing hubs—are facing severe financial losses as market prices drop well below cultivation costs.
Data from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) reveals that Aus cultivation expanded across the district this year, covering 58,573 hectares compared to 51,300 hectares last season. Yet, increased yields have brought little relief. Production expenses reached an average of Tk 64,000 per acre (roughly Tk 21,000 per bigha) due to surging prices for fertiliser, seed, irrigation, pesticides, and hired labour.
Yields averaged between 20 and 22 maunds (around 37 to 40 kg per maund) per bigha. However, with market prices ranging between Tk 800 and Tk 950 per maund, growers earn merely Tk 17,000 to Tk 19,000 per bigha, incurring a direct net loss of Tk 2,000 to Tk 4,000 per bigha.
| Indicator / Grain Variety | Current Market Value / Figure | Previous Year’s Value / Figure |
| Katari Paddy Price (per maund) | Tk 900–960 | Tk 1,300–1,400 |
| Jirashail Paddy Price (per maund) | Tk 850–900 | Tk 1,300–1,400 |
| BR-28 Paddy Price (per maund) | Tk 800–820 | Tk 1,200–1,300 |
| Average Production Cost (per maund) | ~Tk 1,000–1,050 | Tk 850–900 |
| Cultivation Cost per Acre (DAE) | Tk 64,000 | Tk 54,000–56,000 |
| Cultivation Cost per Bigha | Tk 21,000 | Tk 16,000–18,000 |
| Average Yield per Bigha | 20–22 maunds | 20–22 maunds |
| Gross Revenue per Bigha | Tk 17,000–19,000 | Tk 26,000–30,000 |
| Net Financial Outcome per Bigha | Loss: Tk 2,000–4,000 | Profit: Tk 8,000–12,000 |
| Aus Cultivation Area (Naogaon) | 58,573 hectares | 51,300 hectares |
The price slump represents a sharp drop of Tk 300 to Tk 400 per maund compared to last year. At Mahadevpur and Chatra wholesale hubs, prices plummeted by Tk 200 to Tk 300 per maund over ten days. Farmers, burdened by immediate debts and NGO loan repayments, are forced to distress-sell their fresh harvest. Transportation overheads also deter growers from taking unsold grain back home.
Shahidul Islam, owner of Rekha Paddy Warehouse at Chatra Market, confirmed that grain buyers reduced procurement rates as soon as fresh harvests arrived. Meanwhile, Monjur Rahman, Deputy Director of the Naogaon DAE, observed that farmers would have earned reasonable profit margins had market rates remained between Tk 1,200 and Tk 1,300 per maund.
The crash in farm-gate paddy prices has not translated into lower retail rice prices. Mill owners and trade leaders attributed the market stagnation to excessive rice imports under the interim government, alongside high stocks from the previous Boro harvest. Farhad Hossain Chokdar, General Secretary of the Naogaon District Rice Mill Owners Group, warned that heavy import volumes have suppressed demand for local grain, a trend that could spill into the upcoming Aman season and further harm agricultural livelihoods.
