Sylhet Bureau :
Crop land is decreasing day by day in Sylhet. The amount of net crop land is decreasing as a result of lack of irrigation in business areas, housing projects, housing and rural areas, construction of ponds, houses and brick kilns in the suburbs of the city.
It is learned from the field level that the crop land in Sylhet region is decreasing by 10 percent every year. However, according to the Department of Agricultural Extension, crop land is declining by 0.6 percent every year across the country and by 0.5 percent in the Sylhet Region.
There are 6 lakh 96 thousand 949 hectares of net crop land in Sylhet division. The total crop land of 11 lakh 71 thousand 213 agricultural families is 12 lakh 56 thousand 756 hectares. Of these lands, Sylhet has 2 lakh 14 thousand 333 hectares, Moulvibazar 1 lakh 26 thousand 72 hectares, Habiganj 1 lakh 60 thousand 500 hectares and Sunamganj 2 lakh 8 thousand 434 hectares.
Among the net crop lands, the average land area in the division is decreasing by about 10 percent every year.
Although uncultivated land is under cultivation, the main crop land is declining. However, land in urban and suburban areas is declining by about 2 percent.
Highlighting his work experience at the field level, Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer Bijit Acharya said that there is no canal in the village like before. Rivers and canals are being occupied. Filling up. As a result, farmers are not getting water. Houses, ponds and housing projects are being set up on crop lands in rural, urban and suburban areas. Brickfields are being built in huge crop areas in different places.
Several canals including Dhappai river, Chaunia beel, Barbagha river in South Surma upazila of Sylhet are filling up. Hatirkhal died in Sinchapair area of Chhatak. Homes and businesses are being built on both sides of the Basiya river in Bishwanath. However, the people of the area have also started agitation demanding dredging of rivers and eviction of structures.
Meanwhile, half a hundred stone crusher mills have been set up on crop land in the suburban laundry area. Stone has been cut from crop land in Uttama area of Kompaniganj in Sylhet. Apart from Parua, Bholaganj, Jaflong of Gowainghat, Kanaighat and Jaintapur, Balaganj and Zakiganj of the same upazila, establishments and business establishments have been established on crop lands in different districts and upazilas of the division.
Besides, the bills are also being filled. Fifty bills are in crisis now. Although they took lease on the condition of excavation, the fishermen did not dig these bills.
Dilip Kumar Adhikari, Additional Director, Sylhet Region, Department of Agricultural Extension, said there were no accurate statistics on land reduction. But I think the decimal will be 5 percent.
The amount of crop land reduction in the whole country is decimal 7. Crop land is declining due to various reasons including construction of houses, roads, business establishments etc.
