The farmers in Jhenaidah have started harvesting the mature and almost mature Boro paddy form their plots fearing storm likely to be sweep over the district. About 60 percent of Boro paddy got matured, while remaining crops are likely to be matured within one or two weeks.
Early harvesting of the almost ripen Boro paddy might harm the yield, said the farmers in Jhenaidah and the officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
While harvesting Boro paddy from some plots at Sastibar field in Shailkupa of Jheanidah, Boro farmers Abdus Sobhan Mollah and Ziaur Rahman Mollah of Jhaudia village said the hundred percent of their paddy was not matured. Another five to seven days could help make the grains mature. However, the weather forecast had thrown them in dilemma and they started harvesting the paddy to save it from the storm likely to sweep over the district within a few days. It might reduce the yield partially, the farmers said.
The farmers also said they were hiring the day labourers for Boro harvesting in the last season at Taka 600 to 700 a day while the rate is 750 to 900 this season. As a result, the farmers had started the harvesting with limited day labourers or their family members including school and college goers fearing storm or rainfall. Shortage of day labourers and excessive labour charge might increase the production cost of Boro in the season, the farmers added. Sources of the deputy director of the department of agricultural extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah sources said, they had set target to produce Boro paddy on 90,315 hectares of land in the season, while the farmers of Jhenaidah sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu upazilas had brought 90,194 hectares of land for the same in the season. They set the target to produce 4.47 tones of rice on each hectare on an average, the sources added. DAE Jhenaidah Sadar Upazila agricultural officer Nur E Nabi said they that have been witnessing better yield of the Boro paddy in the current season. But the farmers were panicked when they were informed that the storm might sweep over the region within a few days. Finding no other alternatives, the farmers had started harvesting the paddy earlier.
