Increased price of the Boro could not satisfy the farmers in Jhenaidah when at least 20 percent is being paid to harvesting day labourers. It might discourage the farmers in cultivating the same from next seasons, said some of the farmers.
They said a farmer can harvest 25 to 27 maunds of paddy on each bigha of land. Huge amount they have to spend for seeds, fertilizer, pesticides, irrigation, weeding and day labourers purposes. Yet they had been cultivating the main cereal crop for themselves as well as the countrymen. But the present day labourers charges have thrown them in troubles.
They said each maund of paddy is sold at Taka 1,100 to 1,150 but they have to pay Taka 5,000 to 6,000 for each bigha for harvesting from the field. The day labourers have been charging Taka 1,000 to 1,050 for their six hour labour for harvesting. T he labour charge in last season was hardly Taka 800, they, said.
A ccording to the office sources of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah, the farmers in Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu upazilas have cultivated Boro on 89,150 hectares of land in the season as against the government target for 78,855 hectares.
Upazila wise farming achievement was 23,700 hectares in Jhenaidah Sadar, 16,530 hectares in Kaliganj, 6,165 hectares in Kotchandpur, 20,750 hectares in bordering Moheshpur, 12,705 hectares in Shailkupa and remaining 9,300 hectares in Harinakundu.
The farmers had produced 380,671 tones of rice at the rate of 4,27 tones on each hectare on an average. They produced 343,751 tones of rice on 80,284 hectares in the last Boro season, sources said.
Deputy Director of the DAE in Jhenaidah Asgar Ali when contacted said the farming of Boro was increased when the farmers had reduced the wheat, mustard, lentil and some other crops when the farming was affected by incessant rainfall.
Further, satisfactory price of paddy had encouraged them anyway. Regarding excessive harvesting charge of the Boro, the DAE official said the farmers could reduce the harvesting and other farming cost applying combine harvester with a combined effort.
