Luck smiles on farmers of Hakaluki Haor
Bumper boro production after two years of water logging
Farmers harvest boro paddy in Juri area of Hakaluki Haor (water body) in Moulvibazar district. Favourable weather condition and end to the water-logging problem in the area have contributed to bumper production of the crop.Photo: STAR
Farmers of Hakaluki Haor (water body) are in joyous mood as they are harvesting boro paddy after two years of water logging problem. They are all smile as the area saw a bumper production this time due to favourable weather condition and solution to the water logging. There has not been any untimely rain or hail storm. Farmers, even housewives, are busy drying and storing the paddy with great interest. Due to flooding caused by unplanned Pitaitikor Burikiary embankment in Fenchuganj upazila, croplands of Hakaluki Haor faced severe water logging. Farmers of the area could not cultivate boro paddy there in last two seasons. But before this year's boro cultivation, water logging problem was finally resolved, thanks to the authorities for creating a waterway by cutting a portion of the dyke. Musharraf Hossain Khan, upazila agriculture officer at Baralekha, said due to favourable weather condition and government's patronisation, more than 30 thousand hectares of land have been brought under boro cultivation in three upazilas. He said, Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) had set a target of 17 thousand hectares of Hakaluki Haor areas under Kulaura, Juri and Baralekha upazilas to bring those under boro cultivation this year. “We expect around 40 thousand metric tonnes of paddy in Hakaluki Haor area this season” Musharraf Hossain said adding “The real statistics will be available within a week”. Juri upazila agriculture officer Basirul Alam said, approximately 70 percent of boro harvesting have already been completed. During a visit to the haor area, this correspondent found a festive mood prevailing among the farmers. They were drying paddy on huge prepared grounds locally known as 'khola' near the cropland. Some were cooking in the makeshift tents while others having lunch and dinner with the working farmers and labourers in the field. Street vendors have also been coming to the croplands to sell sweets, biscuits, puffed rice, Jilapi (a kind of sweet) etc to exchange them with the farmers for newly harvested paddy. Farmer Nasib Ali of Sujanagar village told this correspondent “I am happy to cultivate boro paddy on 25 'kiar' (each kiar equals to 30 decimals) land. I expect a bumper harvest this time although I could not cultivate paddy in last two years because of water logging”. Ranajoy Kumar Das, a school teacher of Baralekha upazila, said he also hopes a bumper production. “We got seeds and fertilisers in time and the weather also favoured us this year”, he added. He also thanked the agriculture officials for their earnest support to the farmers of Hakaluki Haor.
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