Although the yield of Boro paddy has been outstanding in Jibannagar upazila of Chuadanga, the farmers are anxious over labour crisis to harvest the paddy in time.
As the Corona pandemic situation has deteriorated and the government has announced a strict lockdown the farmers fear that they will not find enough agro labourers this harvesting season. Local farmers claimed that although they face labor crisis every year at this time of the season, this year it might get worse for the lockdown.
If there is any disruption in the production of this crop, local farmers have to suffer throughout the year. It has been found out that in some parts of the upazila, the harvesting of Boro paddy has already started. It will still take a month to cut the whole production.
Farmers here have to rely on workers from other districts as the demand is not met by local workers to cut paddy. For the second time in a row, farmers are left worried due to the dire pandemic situation. Many farmers claimed that they have not recovered from the loss of last year and now they are facing similar uncertainties this year as well.
Nazir Ahmed, a farmer from Uthli village in the upazila, said the yield of Boro has been much better this time as compared to the last five years. He planted Boro on about four acres of land. He is hoping to get more than two hundred mounds of paddy.
Farmer Yunus Ali, from Dehati village of the upazila, Ali Hossain from Subolpur village, Ashkar Ali from Senerhuda village and a few others from different areas said that in most cases, farmers are successfully cultivating hybrid varieties of Boro paddy including ‘Hira’-2, 4, 5, ‘Janakraj’ and ‘Pioneer Agro-14’.
Jivannagar Upazila Agriculture Officer Sharmin Akhter said Boro paddy has been grown on 6,980 hectares of land in the upazila this time. The Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officers working at the field level have been providing round-the-clock advice to the farmers to protect the paddy from diseases and insects.
“We are expecting bumper yields of boro paddy this time. There has been no insect attack on the paddy this year. If all goes well, there is a possibility of producing 41,880 metric tonnes of Boro paddy in the upazila”, said the official.
