A bumper paddy harvest in Sylhet region
Humayun Rashid Chaudhuri and Md. Burhan Uddin
Published: 30 April 2023, 05:01
www.ittefaq.com.bd
The entire Sylhet region experienced catastrophic floods last year. The people of this region have endured severe pain and suffering due to that flood. However, with this year's bumper crop of Boro, the people of Bhati town have forgotten the past sorrows. Life has returned to them. People in the Haor region are in dream of growing about two million metric tons of rice from the fields of greater Sylhet.
Despite the incident of blaster disease, and 17 killed by lightning while cutting paddy, the bumper yield of paddy has been achieved in the current Boro season. The people of Haor are now celebrating the festival. This year the rainfall has been moderate. The weather was sunny. Yields have been good in this favorable climate.
Meanwhile, farmers are cutting and thrashing paddy by tying towels on their heads to save them from the hot sun. Farmers in various places are boiling the paddy they have cut in large pots in the Haorpadi fire. And they are singing in tune. All the haors of Sylhet are like 'poetry of paddy harvesting'.
A different scene unfolded as people's representatives and Chhatra League workers joined the farmers in harvesting paddy. Leaders and activists led by the senior vice-president of the District Chhatra League, Likhan Ahmed, cut the boro paddy of three bigha land of farmer Rahmat Ali of Sunamganj's Lalpur village and delivered it to his home on Saturday.
Shalla Upazila Chairman Al-Amin Chowdhury said, 'I cannot stay at home. I have been with them in the fields since the beginning to encourage them. This year's bumper crop has put a smile on the farmer's face.
Tahirpur Upazila Chairman Karuna Sindhu Chowdhury is busy drying paddy in the field to encourage farmers on Saturday. He said Boro rice of Sunamganj is the life of the whole country. Everyone is happily picking rice. But there is no 'Jangal' (wide road in the middle of the farm) to bring home the golden harvest from the huge 'Mathiain' and 'Sanir' haors.
He said that 52 thousand metric tons of boro rice are produced in Tahirpur. The financial value of which is Tk 200 crore. He demanded the construction of a submersible road through Haor for the development of agriculture. Meanwhile, the local administration, water development board, and agricultural officials are also encouraging the farmers to grow paddy. Miking is going on by the administration to cut the paddy of 'Kowadighi' haor of Maulvibazar. On the other hand, paddy harvesting is being disrupted due to a labor shortage in Habiganj.
65 percent harvesting completed: Sylhet Agriculture Department said, an average of 65.99 percent boro paddy harvesting has been completed in four districts of Sylhet till Friday. 70.3 percent of paddy has been harvested in Sylhet, 57.1 percent in Moulvibazar, 44.7 percent in Habiganj, and 78.4 percent in Sunamganj.
According to sources, 88 percent of paddy was harvested in Haor alone, but 35 percent of paddy was harvested in non-Haor lands. The sowing of paddy outside Haor is late. So the ripening of paddy is delayed. In the next 10-12 days paddy harvesting will be completed in Howar. It will take the whole month of May to complete the paddy harvesting of the land other than Haor. Bimal Chandra Som, deputy director of the Directorate of Agricultural Extension, Sunamganj, said that everyone is working happily because of the sunny weather this year.
12 lakh 85 thousand families are dependent on Boro crops
12 lakh 85 thousand families of Sylhet division are directly dependent on this boro crop. Boro is cultivated on 4 lakh 90 thousand 577 hectares of land this year. The production target level is 19 lakh 99 thousand 821 metric tons of rice. Most boro production is in the Sunamganj district. Here, 2 lakh 22 thousand 575 hectares of land have been cultivated. It is expected that 13.5 million tons of rice will reach the farmers in this district.
1200 harvester machines in the field
Officials said that at least 1,200 harvester machines have come down to harvest paddy with the farmers of the Greater Sylhet Division. Machines are cutting paddy day and night at government-subsidized prices. Farmers are also spending sleepless nights as many dreams surround the Boro crop
The economy and social policy of Sylhet revolve around the boro crop. Children's education, marriage - everything. If the whole year's boro paddy does not rise in the round, the round is filled with poverty and debt. But this time the story of Haor is different in the bumper crop.
Complaints of crop blast disease
This time, blaster disease occurs in different parts of Sylhet. Farmers said that the concerned agriculture office did not publicize the negative aspects of this variety. Agriculture officials denied the allegations and said they had warned. Many have not heard of it. Moreover, the yield of rice in the Bri-28 variety has not been good in many places due to the lack of required rain.
Farmers in the grip of farmers
Due to the delay in buying paddy from the government, the farmers have fallen into the clutches of brokers. All the paddy is going to the brokers' warehouse. Farmers are buying paddy from the canal at the price of 950 rupees. Shalla Union Parishad Chairman Chhattar Mia said that diamond paddy (large paddy) is being sold at 750 to 800 taka from Khala. He said that if the government started buying paddy, the price of paddy would have gone up.
Paddy is going to different places through Madhyanagar
A marketer of Madhyanagar, the largest paddy market in Sunamganj district, said that 34 marketers are buying 25-30 thousand maunds of paddy in Madhyanagar every day. This paddy reaches Ashuganj via Shanbari, Jayashree, Gaglajor, and Itna-Mithamain. The rice here is going to Munshiganj and Madanganj. 75 percent of the paddy here is sold in Ashuganj.
Sunamganj district food controller Mainul Islam Bhuiyan said that the food minister will inaugurate rice buying virtually in 10 districts including Sunamganj on May 7. Paddy will be bought at Tk 30 per kg, and rice at Tk 44 per kg. From paddy farmers, rice is contracted
Humayun Rashid Chaudhuri and Md. Burhan Uddin
Published: 30 April 2023, 05:01
সোনার ধানে ভাটির জনপদে অন্যরকম আনন্দ
পুরো সিলেট অঞ্চলে গত বছর প্রলয়ংকরী বন্যা হয়েছিল। সেই বন্যায় তীব্র কষ্ট ও ভোগান্তি সহ্য করেছেন এ অঞ্চলের মানুষ। তবে এ বছরের বোরোর বাম্পার ফলনে ভাটির জনপদের মানুষ ভুলে গেছেন পেছনের দুঃখের কথা। তাদের মধ্যে প্রাণস্পন্দন ফিরে এসেছে। বৃহত্তর সিলেটের মাঠ থেকে প্রায় ২০ লাখ মেট্টিক টন...
The entire Sylhet region experienced catastrophic floods last year. The people of this region have endured severe pain and suffering due to that flood. However, with this year's bumper crop of Boro, the people of Bhati town have forgotten the past sorrows. Life has returned to them. People in the Haor region are in dream of growing about two million metric tons of rice from the fields of greater Sylhet.
Despite the incident of blaster disease, and 17 killed by lightning while cutting paddy, the bumper yield of paddy has been achieved in the current Boro season. The people of Haor are now celebrating the festival. This year the rainfall has been moderate. The weather was sunny. Yields have been good in this favorable climate.
Meanwhile, farmers are cutting and thrashing paddy by tying towels on their heads to save them from the hot sun. Farmers in various places are boiling the paddy they have cut in large pots in the Haorpadi fire. And they are singing in tune. All the haors of Sylhet are like 'poetry of paddy harvesting'.
A different scene unfolded as people's representatives and Chhatra League workers joined the farmers in harvesting paddy. Leaders and activists led by the senior vice-president of the District Chhatra League, Likhan Ahmed, cut the boro paddy of three bigha land of farmer Rahmat Ali of Sunamganj's Lalpur village and delivered it to his home on Saturday.
Shalla Upazila Chairman Al-Amin Chowdhury said, 'I cannot stay at home. I have been with them in the fields since the beginning to encourage them. This year's bumper crop has put a smile on the farmer's face.
Tahirpur Upazila Chairman Karuna Sindhu Chowdhury is busy drying paddy in the field to encourage farmers on Saturday. He said Boro rice of Sunamganj is the life of the whole country. Everyone is happily picking rice. But there is no 'Jangal' (wide road in the middle of the farm) to bring home the golden harvest from the huge 'Mathiain' and 'Sanir' haors.
He said that 52 thousand metric tons of boro rice are produced in Tahirpur. The financial value of which is Tk 200 crore. He demanded the construction of a submersible road through Haor for the development of agriculture. Meanwhile, the local administration, water development board, and agricultural officials are also encouraging the farmers to grow paddy. Miking is going on by the administration to cut the paddy of 'Kowadighi' haor of Maulvibazar. On the other hand, paddy harvesting is being disrupted due to a labor shortage in Habiganj.
65 percent harvesting completed: Sylhet Agriculture Department said, an average of 65.99 percent boro paddy harvesting has been completed in four districts of Sylhet till Friday. 70.3 percent of paddy has been harvested in Sylhet, 57.1 percent in Moulvibazar, 44.7 percent in Habiganj, and 78.4 percent in Sunamganj.
According to sources, 88 percent of paddy was harvested in Haor alone, but 35 percent of paddy was harvested in non-Haor lands. The sowing of paddy outside Haor is late. So the ripening of paddy is delayed. In the next 10-12 days paddy harvesting will be completed in Howar. It will take the whole month of May to complete the paddy harvesting of the land other than Haor. Bimal Chandra Som, deputy director of the Directorate of Agricultural Extension, Sunamganj, said that everyone is working happily because of the sunny weather this year.
12 lakh 85 thousand families are dependent on Boro crops
12 lakh 85 thousand families of Sylhet division are directly dependent on this boro crop. Boro is cultivated on 4 lakh 90 thousand 577 hectares of land this year. The production target level is 19 lakh 99 thousand 821 metric tons of rice. Most boro production is in the Sunamganj district. Here, 2 lakh 22 thousand 575 hectares of land have been cultivated. It is expected that 13.5 million tons of rice will reach the farmers in this district.
1200 harvester machines in the field
Officials said that at least 1,200 harvester machines have come down to harvest paddy with the farmers of the Greater Sylhet Division. Machines are cutting paddy day and night at government-subsidized prices. Farmers are also spending sleepless nights as many dreams surround the Boro crop
The economy and social policy of Sylhet revolve around the boro crop. Children's education, marriage - everything. If the whole year's boro paddy does not rise in the round, the round is filled with poverty and debt. But this time the story of Haor is different in the bumper crop.
Complaints of crop blast disease
This time, blaster disease occurs in different parts of Sylhet. Farmers said that the concerned agriculture office did not publicize the negative aspects of this variety. Agriculture officials denied the allegations and said they had warned. Many have not heard of it. Moreover, the yield of rice in the Bri-28 variety has not been good in many places due to the lack of required rain.
Farmers in the grip of farmers
Due to the delay in buying paddy from the government, the farmers have fallen into the clutches of brokers. All the paddy is going to the brokers' warehouse. Farmers are buying paddy from the canal at the price of 950 rupees. Shalla Union Parishad Chairman Chhattar Mia said that diamond paddy (large paddy) is being sold at 750 to 800 taka from Khala. He said that if the government started buying paddy, the price of paddy would have gone up.
Paddy is going to different places through Madhyanagar
A marketer of Madhyanagar, the largest paddy market in Sunamganj district, said that 34 marketers are buying 25-30 thousand maunds of paddy in Madhyanagar every day. This paddy reaches Ashuganj via Shanbari, Jayashree, Gaglajor, and Itna-Mithamain. The rice here is going to Munshiganj and Madanganj. 75 percent of the paddy here is sold in Ashuganj.
Sunamganj district food controller Mainul Islam Bhuiyan said that the food minister will inaugurate rice buying virtually in 10 districts including Sunamganj on May 7. Paddy will be bought at Tk 30 per kg, and rice at Tk 44 per kg. From paddy farmers, rice is contracted
