United News of Bangladesh

The paddy fields across northern Bangladesh are once again coming alive as farmers work through muddy fields, transplanting Aman seedlings with hopes of recovering from the setbacks of previous seasons. From preparing land and levelling fields to pulling seedlings from nurseries and planting them in neat rows, farmers and farm workers are busy making the most of the current Aman season. Unlike some previous years, when inadequate or delayed rainfall made transplantation difficult, this year’s favourable weather and sufficient rainfall have brought some relief to farmers in the region. Agriculture officials are also hopeful that if the weather remains favourable, farmers will not only meet the cultivation target but may also achieve a good yield and earn a reasonable return. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), a target has been set to cultivate transplanted Aman on 663,714 hectares of land across the eight districts under the Rangpur agricultural region this season. The production target has been set at 2.633 million tonnes of paddy. Most of the fields have already been planted, while transplantation on the remaining land is expected to be completed within the next 10 to 15 days, officials said. During a recent visit to the fields, the scene was one of intense agricultural activity. Tractors and power tillers were being used to prepare land, while some farmers were repairing field embankments with spades and others were levelling the soil with wooden planks. Groups of farmers were pulling seedlings from nurseries and transplanting them in rows. Some were applying fertiliser, their heads covered with towels to shield themselves from the sun. Abdul Bari, a farmer from Rangpur Sadar, has cultivated Aman on five bighas of land this season. He said adequate rainfall has made cultivation easier and reduced his costs. “Nature has been quite supportive this year. We have received enough rainwater, so we did not have to spend money on irrigation,” he said. “If everything goes well, we expect a good yield,” he said.  

Farmers of the Sunamganj Haor region are living in fear of their paddy being washed away by the Surma river. The farmers said that a portion of the embankment adjacent to Ahsanpur School collapsed on Monday night, sending torrents of water crashing into the farm land of the haor in Jamalganj upazila. Also read: Another embankment collapses in Sunamganj haor area; DAE says 95% Boro harvested According to them, vast tracts of farm land in the haor could soon be inundated if steps are not taken by the authorities concerned at the earliest. Ali Nur, a local farmer, said, “I cultivated paddy after taking a loan. But now all my hard work has been washed away." Some blamed the authorities for their negligent attitude. "Due to the failure of the authorities concerned in securing the embankment, we have suffered losses," said Raju Mia, another farmer. Also read: Sunamganj farmers fear crops loss as floodwater enters haors Around 5,200 hectares of land in this haor has been brought under Boro cultivation, said upazila nirbahi officer Bishwajit Deb. "The farmers are trying their best to save their crops."