Bangladesh's Diesel Price Hike Seen To Hurt Rice Farmers

Bangladesh's cultivation of boro rice is likely to be affected as the interim government's decision to hike diesel prices come in the middle of farmers' peak irrigation season, an expert revealed yesterday.

The irrigation season for boro cultivation is from January to mid-April and farmers irrigate the field in three phases in the process of boro cultivation, with the most important final phase currently underway.

The government on Sunday announced it was raising diesel prices by Tk 7 to (US$0.10) Tk 40 from April 2, noting it would allocate money to ease the burden of the hike on farmers.