Shantiganj Starts Online Lottery to Buy Boro Paddy from Farmers

To ensure fair prices and food security, the Shantiganj Upazila administration has launched an online lottery system to select farmers for the government’s Boro paddy procurement drive.

The selection process took place on Monday afternoon at the Jhilmil Auditorium, overseen by Upazila Executive Officer (UNO) Mohammad Shahjahan. The initiative aims to eliminate middlemen and ensure that actual farmers benefit directly from government rates.

A total of 2,293 farmers from eight unions applied through the online portal. From this pool for 731 farmers were selected via the digital lottery, 149 farmers have been placed on a waiting list. Each selected farmer will be able to sell 3 tons of paddy to the government.

Following the lottery, the official collection began at the Upazila Food Godown at 4:30 PM. For the current season, the government has set a procurement target of 2,195 metric tons of Boro paddy from Shantiganj.

The purchase price has been fixed at 36 Taka per kg (1,440 Taka per maund). This first phase of the drive will continue until June 15, 2026.

Upazila Food Controller Mohammad Abdur Rob stated that the digital lottery ensures transparency in the selection process. He urged farmers to report any irregularities or harassment immediately to the upazila administration.

The event was attended by local agricultural officers, food inspectors, union parishad chairmen, and political leaders to ensure public oversight of the process.