DHAKA, Sept. 6 (Xinhua) -- The production cost of the summer season paddy is likely to rise significantly this season in Bangladesh's 16 northern districts due to higher prices of fertilizers and other farm inputs, according to a government survey.
The production cost of Aman (summer season paddy), which was 14.20 taka (about 20 U.S. cents) per kg last season, might go up by 38 percent per kg this season, leading English newspaper The Daily Star reported Saturday, quoting the survey.
Meanwhile, the production cost of Aman rice this season has been estimated at 28.80 taka (about 41 U.S. cents) per kg on an average, marking a 38.5 percent rise, according to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) field level survey.
Farmers will have to bear an additional expenditure of about 35billion taka (about 500 million U.S. dollars) this season to achieve the targeted production of Aman rice, said the survey.
Price rise of fertilizers, fuel, pesticide, seeds and other inputs and higher wages of farm workers account for the increased cost of Aman cultivation, it said.
The production target of Aman rice has been fixed at about 4.3 million tons with 1.72 million hectares of land under Aman cultivation in the northern districts this season.
