Speakers at a human-chain programme here on Thursday urged the government to take steps enabling famers to get the fair prices of their produces as they are struggling with low prices.

Students of Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University formed the human chain in front of the university gate after a Tangail farmer set his Boro paddy field on fire on Sunday protesting the paddy price fall and the serious lack of day-labourers.

Farmer Abdul Malek Shikder staged this unusual protest at Bankina village in Kalahati upazila of Tangail.

Their other demands include reining in syndicates, compensating the farmers who count losses, giving maximum subsidy for agricultural produces and providing soft loans to farmers.

Dr KBM Saiful Islam, chairman of Medicine and Public Health Department of the university, said the government should give the maximum subsidy for agriculture sector of the country.

‘Our Agriculture Minister is an agriculturist, too. So, we expect a better solution from him. Cash incentives should be given to farmers,’ he also said.

Dr Anisur Rahman said farmers do not get the fair prices of their produces for the intervention of middlemen who raise the prices illegally.

‘If the government doesn’t take appropriate steps immediately then farmers will suffer further and lose interest in farming,’ he said.

‘We urge the Agriculture Minister to take an appropriate decision immediately to ensure the fair prices agricultural products. If it’s not done immediately, our food security will be at stake. The government should also come up with a decision about crop insurance as Bangladesh is a disaster-prone country,’ said Humayun Kabir, a master’s degree student of Horticulture department.