Farmers in Katiadi upazila of Kishoreganj are struggling to find laborers even by offering the equivalent of two maunds of paddy, while harvesters provided under government subsidy are reportedly charging higher-than-approved rents. The situation has left local farmers in severe difficulty during the ongoing Boro season. According to the agriculture office, paddy was cultivated on 12,850 hectares in the upazila, but about 585 hectares have been affected by heavy rainfall.

Previously, a worker could be hired for one maund or less of paddy, but now even two maunds are not enough. The current market price of raw paddy is between Tk 650 and Tk 700 per maund, while daily labor wages have risen to around Tk 1,300. Farmers are spending about Tk 22,000 per bigha to produce paddy but earning only Tk 17,500 from sales, resulting in a loss of Tk 4,000–5,000 per bigha.

The upazila agriculture officer said 27 harvesters are ready to address the labor shortage, with additional machines being brought from nearby districts. The maximum approved rent per bigha is Tk 2,500, and authorities will take action if higher rates are charged.