Cold, foggy weather wreaks havoc to boro seedbeds
A boro seedbed in Dinajpur Sadar upazila gets yellowish as prolonged cold and foggy weather is causing damage to the saplings.Photo: STAR
Prolonged cold and foggy weather threatens achievement of boro target in the district as seedbeds are getting damaged due to the adverse weather condition. More than half of boro seedbeds in different upazilas of the district is facing damage on the very onset of the season, said sources of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) referring to farmers. About 10,000 hectares of land have been prepared for seedbed as there is target to bring 1,75,082 hectares of land in Dinajpur district under the boro cultivation in this season. Prices of seeds have soared up due to the situation. “I purchased a 10kg seed bag with Tk 540 instead of Tk 330. If boro cultivation is delayed, the crop yield will fall,” said Hasan Ali, a farmer of Dinajpur Sadar upazila. A steep fall in temperature has been recorded in the areas with no sun shining for the last 10 days. With bone-chilling cold weather, farmers in these areas have started worrying about their other crops and the damage caused to these by dense fog in the area. It has been seen that prolonged fog and mist causes damage to the crops in the plains. The mango and litchi growers of the district are also worried as it may prove harmful if the fog remains here for a few more days. “Dense fog is definitely harmful for small plants like seedbeds, tomatoes etc. Bigger trees including fruit bearing ones may be harmed if foggy weather conditions prevail for more days,” said Sekendar Ali, deputy director of Dinajpur DAE. The DAE officials suggested farmers to save small plants by covering them with net cloth. Smoke can also be helpful for protecting plants and trees from harsh weather, they said.
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