Sylhet Bureau :
Farmers in seven haor districts early harvested 12 per cent of their Boro paddy amidst sheaf getting sterile and severe shortage of labourers, said Department of Agricultural Extension officials.
DAE officials told, this year, the total Boro paddy acreage in the haor belt was 5.57 lakh hectares in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Netrokona, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria,.
DAE detected sporadic sterility in rice sheaf particularly in Khaliajury and Purbadhala in Netrokona and Baniachang in Habiganj.
Expert agriculturists from the DAE and the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute visited the affected areas and told the farmers that sterility resulted at the flowering stage due to insufficiently irrigating the rice fields.
DAE director for field service wing Dr Abdul Moyeed told that the Boro paddy in the haor districts, most the early varieties, were ready for harvest.
The government wants the growers to complete reaping the Boro paddy crop in the haor areas by the first week of May, he said, to save the crop from flash floods.
DAE Deputy Director for monitoring Mizanur Rahman told that the farmers in the haor belt were advised to complete 70 per cent of harvest of their Boro paddy by April though now the forecast of flash floods had been rolled back.
He said that after 50 per cent of the harvest had been completed the rice yield trend would be evaluated.
DAE officials said that even after offering daily wage of Tk 500 with three free meals, farmers were not getting the labourers.
DAE officials advised deputy commissioners in the haor belt to suspend labour intensive activities including breaking stones and sand mining from rivers so that the growers could get the labourers to harvest their rice crop.
DAE officials from Sunamganj said that the farmers grew Boro paddy in over 2.20 lakh hectares in 95 haors in 11 upazials in Sunamganj.
The farmers grew hybrid, HYV and local rice varieties in Sunamganj.
In an advisory, the DAE had earlier requested the farmers to reap their Boro paddy early to save it from possible flash floods.
Farmers in seven haor districts early harvested 12 per cent of their Boro paddy amidst sheaf getting sterile and severe shortage of labourers, said Department of Agricultural Extension officials.
DAE officials told, this year, the total Boro paddy acreage in the haor belt was 5.57 lakh hectares in Sylhet, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Netrokona, Kishoreganj and Brahmanbaria,.
DAE detected sporadic sterility in rice sheaf particularly in Khaliajury and Purbadhala in Netrokona and Baniachang in Habiganj.
Expert agriculturists from the DAE and the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute visited the affected areas and told the farmers that sterility resulted at the flowering stage due to insufficiently irrigating the rice fields.
DAE director for field service wing Dr Abdul Moyeed told that the Boro paddy in the haor districts, most the early varieties, were ready for harvest.
The government wants the growers to complete reaping the Boro paddy crop in the haor areas by the first week of May, he said, to save the crop from flash floods.
DAE Deputy Director for monitoring Mizanur Rahman told that the farmers in the haor belt were advised to complete 70 per cent of harvest of their Boro paddy by April though now the forecast of flash floods had been rolled back.
He said that after 50 per cent of the harvest had been completed the rice yield trend would be evaluated.
DAE officials said that even after offering daily wage of Tk 500 with three free meals, farmers were not getting the labourers.
DAE officials advised deputy commissioners in the haor belt to suspend labour intensive activities including breaking stones and sand mining from rivers so that the growers could get the labourers to harvest their rice crop.
DAE officials from Sunamganj said that the farmers grew Boro paddy in over 2.20 lakh hectares in 95 haors in 11 upazials in Sunamganj.
The farmers grew hybrid, HYV and local rice varieties in Sunamganj.
In an advisory, the DAE had earlier requested the farmers to reap their Boro paddy early to save it from possible flash floods.
