Paan production has increased in Raipur, Lakshmipur, but farmers are struggling because prices have fallen. Paan that sold for Tk 120 last year is selling for only Tk 40 this year.
About Tk 2 million worth of paan is traded every day at Haydarganj market. Farmers from different areas bring their produce from midnight, and trading begins at dawn and continues through the morning. The market supplies local demand as well as Hatia, Chattogram, Feni, Dhaka and other parts of the country.
Farmer Sahed Majhi expressed frustration at the market, saying he had brought so much paan that the sale would not even cover the cost of bringing it there. Farmers say a lower selling price than production cost has left them in difficulty.
Farmers said production rose this year because there was less disease in paan plants. But prices did not rise with production, making it difficult to recover cultivation costs.
Farmer Barek Uddin said Haydarganj, like Shyambazar and Chandpur, has become a major paan trading centre. Traders come from different parts of the country to buy there.
New Bazar Panhata, Haydarganj market and Kamperhat are among Raipur’s main paan markets. They support long-running economic activity among growers and traders and supply paan to different parts of the country.
People involved in the trade said farmers risk financial hardship despite higher production and regular trading. They said fair prices in line with production costs would help farmers and strengthen the local paan economy.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report