Acute scarcity of labour is posing a serious challenge to farmers who have a bumper yield of boro paddy this season. This scarcity amid the lockdown and suspension of transportation to halt the outbreak of coronavirus, is delaying the harvesting of paddy in this peak season. Farmers are also saying, despite offering higher pay they are unable to gather enough labourers to harvest the matured Boro crop. They fear that if the prevailing situation continues, they will have to incur significant loss.
Labour scarcity is also hurting farmers at Kishoreganj, Sunamganj, Netrokona, Habiganj, Sylhet haor areas, Jessore, Satkhira, Narsingdi, Brahmanbaria, and other parts of the country. It was learnt that the crisis will hamper the overall procurement operations that include loading, cleaning and packaging. At present, only the existing workers are available and there is no scope for seasonal workers to reach these fields in this procurement season.
Experts fear that if the paddy cannot be harvested in this peak season, huge quantities of paddy will be ruined in the fields, and as a result, food shortages could take a serious turn. It is to be noted, once people from Narsingdi, Noakhali, Pabna, Bogura, Faridpur, and Mymensingh districts used to come for paddy harvesting, but this year they are unable to move due to partial lockdown in different parts of the country and suspension of transport movement following coronavirus outbreak.
On the other hand, in the absence of sufficient labour, farmers are scrambling for harvesting machines. “There is dire shortage of combined harvesters as the number of machines that should be on the field is less than the demand, while new reapers and harvesters are unable to arrive due to lockdown”, a farmer in the haor region said, expressing his worries.
On Thursday last, the Agriculture Ministry has asked to take necessary steps for uninterrupted paddy harvesting in the haor areas as well as marketing and production of other crops amid the coronavirus crisis by ensuring worker’ safety. In order to ensure food security in the current situation, the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) will take the necessary steps to bring workers along with the harvester machines and reapers to harvest paddy.
Meanwhile, the Finance Ministry has allocated Tk 100 crore to the Agriculture Ministry for procuring harvesting machines. Considering the shortage of labour, additional harvesting machines are being provided in different districts. Through DAE, farmers will be able to get the harvesting machines at half cost.
DAE office sources said farmers cultivated Boro on 1,29,130 hectares with a production target of 5,23,937 metric tonnes (rice). Of the total, 33,715 hectares in Jamalpur Sadar upazila, 19,150 hectares in Sarishabari, 20,600 hectares in Melandaha, 16,900 hectares in Islampur, 9,100 hectares in Dewanganj, 17,400 hectares in Madarganj and 12,265 hectares in Bakshiganj upazila have been brought under Boro cultivation.
Based on district correspondent reports, it was learned that, apart from the threat of getting infected by disease, the fear of getting quarantined is having a negative impact on the minds of workers who are not willing to move away from their villages now. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque at a press briefing said Taka 200 crore has been allocated for distributing machinery and seeds among farmers as agriculture assistance.
Considering the possible shortage of labourers during the harvesting period of Boro paddy amid coronavirus outbreak, the minister said, an allocation has been given to supply 180 combined harvesters and 137 reapers to the haor regions on an emergency basis. The agriculture minister said combined harvesters and reapers are also being sent to the farmers of haor areas from the country’s other regions.
