Our Correspondent :
As the price of paddy is higher in the market this year as compared to the last year, the farmers are harnessing profit in cultivating Ropa-Aman paddy in different areas including the remote char areas of Gafargaon in Mymensingh. As a result, they are preparing to cultivate paddy on a large scale in the rural areas of the upazila or in the cultivable and non-cultivable lands of the municipality.
Meanwhile, as there is no rain even in the rainy season, the farmers are making the land suitable for planting paddy with the help of salu machine or pump. The method of cultivating land with plow is no longer visible. In most of the lands, the farmers are busy cultivating with the help of tractors and uprooting the paddy seedlings from the seedbed. However, due to lockdown in the country, workers are not able to come from far and wide, they are suffering from labor crisis.
According to the concerned agriculture office, the target of planting aman paddy in one municipality and 15 unions of the upazila has been achieved in 6,300 hectares of land. About one third of aman has already been planted in the highlands of the upazila. It can be seen on the ground that the farmers are busy planting aman in Panchbagh, Charmachaland, Tangabo, Dutterbazar, Rasulpur and Union villages of the upazila. Paddy planting has not yet started in several villages of Saltia Union. However, there is a slight delay due to labor crisis.
Talking to the farmers, it is learned that this year they are planting 7 without hybrids, 8, 26, 29, 49, 52 without paddy, Paniyar Agro-12 variety of paddy of Bayar Company, Tej and Petrochem Company.
Aman paddy farmer Nazrul Islam of Charkamaria village of Char Algi union of the upazila, Rafiq Mia of Charmachaland village, Kamrul Islam of Malimara char village of Panchbagh union and many others said that they are planting aman paddy in most of the lands as the market price of paddy is high. There is much more land to be planted. They also said that they are planting other paddy including Brie-hybrid variety in the land.
Gafargaon Upazila Agriculture Officer agriculturist. Anwar Hossain said that farmers are interested in aman cultivation as the price of paddy has increased this season. However, more aman will be planted in the upazila than the target, he said.
