B'baria likely to miss aman target for late rains this yr
Aman cultivation may not achieve the production target in the district this year as farmers could not cultivate around 3,200 hectares of chosen land mainly due to late rainy season.
Farmers of different areas of the district cited late rainy season, unfavourable weather condition, poor irrigation and sunlight and outbreak of rats and crabs in the fields as the reasons for less production this year.
According to district agriculture extension department (AED), a target was set to cultivate 48,010 hectares of lands in all nine upazilas of the district this year to produce 1,21,000 metric tonnes of rice. But due to late rains, the farmers could not cultivate their lands in time.
Of the targeted lands, total 44,810 hectares were successfully cultivated while 3,200 hectares of cultivable lands remained completely empty.
As a result, the district is likely to produce only around 8,000 metric tonnes of targeted fine rice this year, the officials said.
Farmer Md Farid Mia of Shahjadapur village of Sarail upazila of the district said, "We do not expect any bumper aman this year as the rainy season was late. Due to late recession of water from the fields, we could not cultivate the lands in time”.
Md Suruj Mia said, “Aman is an easy crop for us and we can cultivate it without applying any fertiliser and tilling land because rain water makes our land fertile and soft enough to plant seedlings. But this year, late recession of the water from fields hampered the cultivation.”
Md Azizul Islam said, "Due to late cultivation, aman plants did not get proper sun and water. As a result, the plants are not thriving well. In some areas, the plants are becoming yellowish and weak. Crabs and rats are destroying the soft plants. Due to lack of natural water and irrigation, the fields have developed cracks."
Idan Shah said, "We made a substantial investment for aman. But it is now clear that we will not even get back our capital.”
An agriculture officer at the district agricultural extension department said, "Most farmers of the district will not be benefited as they started cultivating aman after September 15 due to late rainy season. But aman plants in the cropland, especially in Brahmanbaria, need 100 to 105 days up to the first week of December to grow properly”.
“The farmers will get fodder not much grain this year,” he said.
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