State Minister M Abdul Bari on Monday said the government has instructed the relevant authorities to give priority to farmers affected by crop losses in the haor region when procuring paddy for public food stocks.
Responding to a written question of BNP lawmaker elected from Jamalpur-3 M Mostafizur Rahman Babul, the State Minister said in the ongoing boro procurement season, the government has taken special measures following extensive damage to Boro paddy caused by excessive rainfall in the haor areas.
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Sharing information from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the State Minister said, a total of 32.7 million tonnes of paddy have been produced during the current Boro harvesting season.
To support affected farmers, the government launched its internal paddy and rice procurement drive in the haor region on May 3, 2026, the State Minister said.
He said that the initiative allows farmers to dry their paddy at government warehouse premises and sell it directly to the government.
The State Minister said the procurement campaign has also encouraged rice millers to begin purchasing paddy, creating additional market opportunities for farmers and helping them secure fair prices for their produce.
In addition, the government has introduced special Open Market Sale (OMS) programmes in six haor districts, under which rice and flour are being sold at subsidised prices.
As a result, farmers and other residents of the haor region are receiving food assistance at lower costs, helping ease the impact of recent crop losses, he added.