The farmers of six upazilas in Jhenidah have been facing acute crisis of day labouers in harvesting the Boro paddy going to be started within a week or two. They are going to produce 3.80 lakh tones of rice in current Boro season on a total of 87,482 hectares of land, said the farmers.
A number of farmers in Jhenidah Sadar, Harinakundu and Shailkupa upazilas when contacted they are happy over the present price of the paddy in the market as each and every farmer has been selling the paddy at taka 900 to 950 each maund (each 40 kilogram). The price of the same was hardly Taka 750 about two months back. The present price will encourage the farmers a lot, they said.
They said they have been facing acute crisis of farm labourers as most of the labourers are not appearing public fearing the global havoc for past few weeks. As the number of suspected and detected corona virus patients has been rising in the district, it has created panic among the labourers in last few days.
Further, the day labourers usually rush in Jhenidah and some surrounding districts from Natore, Rajshahi, Bogura, Serajganj, some parts of Kushtia, Raajbari, Pabnaand some other areas of the northern districts, are not in a position to move from their houses due to suspension of transport vehicles throughout the country, will affect the harvesting, they added.
Admitting the reduction of prices of dye ammonium phosphate (DAP) fertilizer, the farmers said each and every farmer was encouraged to apply adequate fertilizers in the season as required by the crops. It has been saving their money during production, they said.
Office sources of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenidah said they farmers of Jhenidah Sadar upazila are going to harvest Boro from 28,774 hectares, Kaliganj farmers from 14,408 hectares, Kotchandpur farmers from 6,060 hectares, Moheshpur farmers from 20,138 hectares, Shailkupa farmers from 14,700 hectares, while the farmers of Harinakundu will harvest Boro from 9,410 hectares of land during the harvesting season.
DAE sources said a total of 384,230 tones of Boro rice was produced in the district on a total of 88,504 hectares of land in the last season. Average production of the rice was achieved 4.35 tones on each hectare n the last season.
Deputy Director of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenidah Kripangshu Sekhar Biswas when contacted said the farmers had produced optimum Boro in the current season as the production cost was within the reach of the farmers as DAP, a main component in farming, was re-fixed at a below a rate.
Deputy Commissioner (DC), also president of fertilizer and seeds monitoring Committee in Jhenidah district Saroj Kumar Nath in his comment following Boro farming in the district when contacted, said he has been monitoring the market including selling of the DAP fertilizer when the government had reduced the price for a continuous flow of production so that the farmers could enjoy the new price for safer food production.
