Infected aman seeds flood Rangpur, other N-districts
Markets in Pirganj upazila have been flooded with infected low quality paddy seeds which spread 'late blight and stem rot' diseases.
Farmers and agriculturists throughout the district fear that the seeds, known as Guti Swarna and smuggled from India, would badly affect the on-going Aman sowing and its harvest. Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials in Rangpur said that this season they are expecting farmers to plant Aman on more than 3.97 lakh acres of land in the district.
Upazilla agriculture officer Rezaul Karim admitted of widespread availability of the infected seeds and its lurking dangers.
“The agriculture officers and farmers in the field level raised the alarm first. We also have seized a huge quantity of this banned Guti Swarna seed, from different markets,” Karim said.
Rezaul Karim said they were continuing raids on different markets of the upazila to flush out the sellers and protect the farmers from cheats.
“If we cannot stop this immediately, farmers would incur irreparable losses this season. From our experience we know that the disease caused by these seeds is so widespread and severe that no pesticide is able to cure it,” Karim added.
Sources in the DAE said that the smugglers and syndicated traders have been active to sell the same brand of contaminated seeds throughout the northern Bangladesh. They said they needed concerted efforts to fight it on an urgent basis.
While visiting markets at Khalashpir Haat, Motherganj, Bhendabari, Shanerhat, Gurzipara, Colony Bazaar, Chatra and Dhaperhat recently, this correspondent found the traders selling infected Guti Swarna openly, using colorful advertisements.
Alam Mian, owner of Sabuj Biz Bhander at Khalashpir Haat, said he had just sold a 30-kg sack of Guti Swarna at Tk. 1100. He said the price of the smuggled seed is lower than that of other varieties.
“We have come to know that the seeds are adulterated and of very bad quality,” said Alam Mian adding, “I shall now stop selling it.”
Abdur Rahim Mian, owner of Al Amin Traders at the market said smugglers brought the seed from different Indian border areas and sold it to different seed traders in Rangpur and also supplied to neighbouring districts.
DAE agriculturists warned that Guti Swarna seeds carry germs and if sowed, the paddy plants would be infected with “late blight and stem rot” diseases.
Altab Hossain, a farmer of Khoirbari village in Pirganj upazila and another farmer, Sohrab Hossain of Madankhaly village told this correspondent that they fell victim to the aforesaid seed in the previous year.
“Barely a month after I sowed the saplings grown from the seeds, late blight and stem rot diseases attacked them and destroyed my entire crop,” Altab Hossain said.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel.
Comments