Water crisis hits nut farming in Kurigram
Nut plants on a field at Kalir Alga Char in Kurigram Sadar upazila are dying due to lack of water, much to the worry of local farmers.Photo: STAR
Nut farming is being hampered in char areas of Kurigram district due to acute water crisis. Leaves of nut plants on around 500 of acres of land in char areas of Ulipur, Chilmari, Rajarhat and Kurigram Sadar upazilas are becoming dry due to lack of rain. Nut is produced on sandy soil and it is one of the main crops of the char people. They also cultivate pulses and corns on the spaces between nut plant rows. While visiting Kalia Alga Char in Sadar upazila recently, nut grower Md Asad Ali, also a member of Jatrapur Union Parishad, told this correspondent that he got 100 maunds of nut from 20 acres of land last year. “Despite getting enough rainwater, I had to spent Tk 900 on per acre of land to get water from sallow tube-well,” Asad said, adding that he has cultivated nut only on 10 acres of land this years due to acute water crisis. Farmers of Tin Hazari Char, Barobish Char, Jhunkar Char and Doikhawa Char also face the same problem as they have not got enough rainwater this year. Dense fog also damaged nut plants, but local agriculture office did not take any step to supply plants to the affected growers, they alleged. Abdul Mannan Master of Kalia Alga Char said, “I have cultivated nut in some acres of land this year but leaves of plants are getting dry for want of required water. Md Majnur Rashid, agriculture officer of Kurigram Sadar upazila said water crises has been created in the areas as there was no rain in the months of December and January. Some farmers of the char areas came to me last year to take advice about nut cultivation, but no one has come this year, the agriculture officer said.
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