Early harvest brings festivity to North after flood gloom

Farmers of the flood-affected areas in Dinajpur and Rangpur have started harvesting of early variety high-yielding paddy amidst festivity although flood in August was a heavy blow to them.

The farmers are expecting more profit this year as the price of rice was soaring in the market.

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Harvesting started on Sunday in full swing in Badarganj upazila of Rangpur and Khansama upazila of Dinajpur, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension.

In Badarganj, around 2,700 hectares of land was brought under early varieties of high-yielding paddy cultivation.

Farmer Mazedur Rahman of Untapara village in Kalupara union said he had cultivated hybrid paddy on 52 decimals of land. He added he started harvesting on Sunday.

“I got 30 maunds of paddy from my land," he said, adding that he had spent Tk 9,000 for planting the paddy, which had around 100 days of life span.

He was now preparing his land for next crops like potatoes.

Abdus Salam of Mohdipur village said he got 40 maunds of paddy from his 60 decimals of land and got Tk 600 per maund from the sale.

Away in Khansama of Dinajpur, high-yielding early varieties of paddy were cultivated on 500 hectares of land, according to DAE officials.

“The situation in mid-August was very bad during the flood," said Polash Roy, a farmer of Kachiniya village in the upazila. Now things were much better, he said, adding, they would cultivate other crops like potato, garlic and onion along with winter vegetables after harvesting paddy.

Abinoy Chandra Roy of Prankrishnapur village said he had planted early variety hybrid paddy on his 50 decimals of land and got 40 maunds of paddy.

He also said it took 100 days from cultivation to harvest.

Like him, Md Babu and Saidul Islam of Bishnuganj village, Rashidul Islam of Goaldihi village and Rafiqul Islam of Marium Bazar area in the upazila cultivated the same paddy and got good production.