“Storm leaves the rice paddies and leaves, Kamla Kharoch falls more”
Photo Collected
In Gaibandha, the low-lying Boro paddy fields have accumulated water due to the rains of the past few days. Gaibandha recorded 65 mm rainfall in the last 24 hours till 12 noon today. Recently, about 212 hectares of paddy fields have fallen in Aghte district of Kalbaisakhi due to rain.
Farmer Amirul Islam (50) of Kumargari village of Palashbari upazila was cutting the fallen paddy alone at noon. The farmer cultivated boro paddy in three bigha of land this year. Recently, due to Kalbaisakhi, the paddy of his 80 century land fell into the water.
বিজ্ঞাপন
Regarding the same paddy harvesting, farmer Amirul Islam said, “During the downpour (rain), the ground water gets stuck. Sometimes there is a storm. Even the paddy is not fully ripe. He put the stormy rice paddy in his mouth and gache. Gayot Kamla is not available. Even if it is available, Kamla Kharoch is more expensive. If the plant is submerged in water for a long time, the rice will be damaged. That’s why I struggle to cut my own paddy. Let’s take the lying paddy and read it.’
Like Amirul, at least 20 farmers on Saturday voiced their concern over the failed paddy harvest. However, the deputy director of the District Agriculture Extension Department, Atiqul Islam, said that there will be no damage to the rice if there is no new storm. He told Prothom Alo over the phone that farmers are being advised to arrange for quick drainage from the land.
বিজ্ঞাপন
According to the sources of District Agriculture Extension Department, 1 lakh 29 thousand 20 hectares of boro rice has been cultivated in seven upazilas of the district this year. A few days of rain have accumulated water in many lands. Boro paddy has fallen due to the storm.
According to the sources of agriculture department, harvesting of Boro paddy has not started completely. Till Saturday, 2 percent of paddy has been harvested.
On Saturday afternoon, images of paddy harvesting were seen on the surface of the water. Especially in Palashbari upazila Kumargari, Harinabari, Raiti Norail, Nandishahar Bill, Maliandah, Khamar Nandishahar, Pukuria Bill, Badiyakhali and Chakbarul villages of Matherbazar and Sadar upazila, the semi-ripe paddy has fallen to the ground due to the storm. In some areas, the rice plants of the land are submerged in water. Many farmers are harvesting semi-ripe paddy.
The farmers of Harinabari village said that there is semi-ripe paddy in about 500 bighas of Solagadi bill of the village. After few days of rain, water has accumulated in many lands. Bills had drains for drainage. The drain is now closed due to brickwork. As a result, there is no drainage system, resulting in waterlogging. As a result, the half-ripe paddy is about to be spoiled. Farmers are unable to harvest paddy due to labor shortage.
Meanwhile, before the start of the rice harvesting season, there is a shortage of agricultural labor in rural areas. Workers are available but wages are high. Farmers are in trouble for harvesting the fallen paddy.
Kumargari village farmer Rafiq Mia said, this year we cultivated boro paddy in four bigha land. Among them, half-ripe rice plants of one bigha of land got mixed with water in the storm. Agricultural laborers have to pay more wages to harvest the fallen paddy. At present, wages up to 7 to 8 thousand per bigha have to be paid. Still workers are not available. He is in trouble with harvesting rice.
Mukul Chandra, a farmer of Harinabari village, said, ‘The yield of rice was good this time. But due to waterlogging due to few days of rain, paddy plants are submerged under water. Half-ripe paddy trees of about 40 centuries of my land have fallen in the water. He said, last year at this time, it took 3 to 4 thousand to cut rice per bigha of land. Currently, it is taking 7 to 8 thousand rupees more per bigha. The workers are not getting paid even with money.
In this context, the Deputy Director of the District Agriculture Extension Department also said that the farmers are advised to harvest the paddy of those lands where water has accumulated. If it is not cooked, it is said to drain the water.
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