Farmers in different upazila of Rajbari are busy purchasing paddy saplings for planting in their croplands amid the ongoing Aman planting season across the country.

When Abdul Haque woke up at dawn yesterday, not even the bone-chilling cold or the fog could stop him from getting out onto the field.

The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has advised farmers to harvest Aman paddy instantly if the maturity of the grain is 80 per cent in order to avoid damage by the cyclone Sitrang.

The government has achieved Aman paddy cultivation target in the current season, the agriculture ministry said.

Paddy farmers in the northern districts have struggled to turn a profit for the past five years, as production costs have risen significantly but rice prices have not increased proportionally.

Farmers who depend on rainwaters to grow Aman paddy in Dinajpur have been left distraught from early July owing to a drought-like situation in the absence of rains. 

The government will buy six lakh metric tonnes of paddy directly from farmers this Aman season, Agriculture Minister Dr Abdur Razzak says.

Recently, Sisnabi Mondol, a farmer in Dinajpur's Chirirbandar upazila, has sold his Aman paddy at Tk 600 per maund, whereas the rate was Tk 720 when the harvest season began in December.