In Mirsarai, farmers are busy with ripe paddy in the field. The festival of harvesting and threshing of ripe boro paddy is going on in Paro upazila. In the last two days, due to the cyclone ‘Asani’ the farmers are in some trouble with the ripe paddy.
On the other hand due to labor crisis farmers in different parts of the upazila have been seen harvesting paddy with Tripura women workers. On Tuesday (May 10), about 20 Tripura women workers cut paddy from a paddy field and delivered it to farmers’ houses in the field next to Mazharul Haque Chowdhury High School in Mirsarai Sadar Union of the upazila.
In the char areas of Ichakhali union of the upazila it is seen that the farmers of the char areas are cutting the paddy from it and carrying it on their shoulders and breaking the knee-waist water of the canal in the backyard.
In the countryside the traditional practice of threshing paddy with cows is no longer seen. Shallow engine threshing machines have occupied that place of threshing paddy.
However this has reduced both the labor and cost of the farmer. The mobile threshing machine is going to the farmer’s house as soon as the paddy is cut. After that, as soon as the load of paddy is put in the machine, straw and paddy are separated.
Abdul Mumin owner of a mobile paddy threshing machine in Mirsarai Sadar Union, said “It takes one
hour to thresh paddy on one bigha (33 cents) of land. For this I am spending Tk 700.
This reduces both the time and cost of the farmer.”
Regarding the workers Priyanath, a farmer of Jorarganj Union of the upazila, said that the farmers of the area are leaning towards threshing machines due to the labor crisis and high wages. Before cultivating one bigha of paddy with agricultural laborers, it would have taken two days and cost Rs. And now it takes less time less work.
Hanif a farmer of Durgapur union of the upazila, said that he could not harvest ripe paddy due to labor crisis. It costs more than 5 thousand rupees to harvest 1 bigha (33 cents) of land, but we are still not getting workers. They are forced to cut paddy by bringing workers from outside the district. It has to pay 800 rupees including daily food.
Nizam Uddin a farmer of Nazirpara village in Mirsarai municipality of the upazila, said that this time he has planted boro paddy in 15 bighas of land. The yield of paddy has been quite good and most of the paddy is ripe. He has already started harvesting paddy in his land. But he is worried about whether he will be able to take all the paddy home before the cyclone hits Ashani.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Raghunath Naha said, this time boro was planted in 18,035 hectares of land in the upazila. The yield of paddy has been good. In the meantime, more than half of the farmers in the upazila have taken paddy from their land. Women Tripura workers harvest paddy every year in Kerhat union of the upazila.
Minhazur Rahman, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO), said that the farmers have been requested to cut the paddy as per the forecast of Meteorological Department through the Chairman of each Union Parishad and Upazila Agriculture Officer.
