The bumper Boro production beyond expectation has brought smile to the farmers at Chatmohar in Pabna. Farmers of the Upazila are passing busy days harvesting Boro paddy.
The farmers expressed their satisfaction over high yield and fair price of Boro paddy this season. However, the shortage of farm workers and too much wage of the workers increase the production cost of the paddy for the farmers.
It has been learnt that the Boro harvesting of many farmers with cutting paddy is almost completed. The farmers who cultivated mustard before Boro paddy on the same land are cutting their paddy in full swing.
Chatmohar Agriculture Office sources said the target of Boro cultivation this season in Chatmohar was 9,600 hectares of land. However, the farmers of the Upazila cultivated Boro paddy on 9,650 hectares of land. Boro farming has exceeded the target by 50 hectares of land. The verities- Hybrid SL 8, Hira, Surovi One, Ufshi BRRI Dhan 28, BRRI Dhan 29, BRRI Dhan 58, BRRI Dhan 81, BRRI Dhan 84, BRRI Dhan 92, BRRI Dhan 96 and BRRI Dhan 100 are mostly cultivated in the Upazila.
Ruhul Amin Polash, resident of Nimaichara village of the Upazila, said that he had cultivated Boro paddy on 15 Bighas of land. Besides, other farmers cultivated the paddy under three irrigation pumps of them on some 100 Bighas of land.
The farmers get around 20-22 maunds of paddy from one Bigha of land. Moreover, they get straw of Tk 2,000 to Tk 3,000 from one Bigha of land. One maund of paddy is being sold at Tk 1,050 to Tk 1,120. The farmers can make a profit of around Tk 10,000 from one Bigha of land. However, the farmers who cultivate paddy on the leased lands make less profit, he added.
Monnaf Hossain, farmer of Dhankunia village of the Upazila, said that he had to spend around Tk 12,000 to Tk13,000 in one Bigha of land for Boro cultivation. Around Tk 10,000 profit can be made after the irrigation cost and other expenses such as ploughing the land, fertilizer, pesticides, etc.
Another Boro farmer of Nimaichara village of the Upazila, Jillur Rahman, said that he had cultivated Boro paddy on some 25 Bighas of land. The prices of agricultural equipment have increased. The price of paddy has also increased. The farmers cultivate Boro paddy to meet their own demand and fodder for their cattle. The ripen paddy has tilted due to cyclone Remal. Around Tk 6,000 labour cost is needed for cutting paddy of one Bigha of land. Many farmers are yet to harvest their paddy due to shortage of labour, he added.
Hazrat Ali, a farm worker of Kola village, said the daily wage of a worker is Tk 800. The workers are cutting paddy on a contract basis. It costs Tk 6,000 to Tk 7,000 for one Bigha of land.
Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Officer AA Masum Billah said around 58 percent of Boro harvesting has been completed so far. Around 6.5 metric ton paddy can be harvested from each hectare of land. We have advised the farmers during the excessive heat and drought. So, there was hardly any damage of the crop. The farmers are making good profit as they are getting good price of paddy.
