The farmers in Jhenaidah yet hopeful of harvest optimum production of transplantation Aman (T-Aman) paddy in the season ignoring all barriers including severe drought and price hike of chemical fertilizers in the season.
Although the transplantation hours were delayed, they have completed 98 percent of the activities in the mean time, said the farmers.
Farmer Shahidul Islam of Chandpur village when contacted at Bhatai Bazer weekly market said he sowed Aman seeds of his 13 decimals of land about two months back hoping meeting up his own demand and sell a portion to recover the production cost. But most of the seeds were rotten due to severe drought in the initial stage. Only 25 percent of the seeds provided saplings which he had brought in the market for selling. The production cost of the saplings had added three times more in the season, Shahidul Islam said.
Abdul Gafur of village Phulahari and Ananda Mohan of Falia village in Shailkupa upazila were purchasing T-Aman saplings in the market, said they had purchased the saplings at Taka 1,200 to 1,400 for each bigha of land in the last season, while they are compelled to purchase the same at double prices when there was severe price hike of the saplings. It will increase the production cost. The farmers like him have been facing untold sufferings in the season as the irrigation cost went at least 50 percent higher due to price hike of diesel, they said.
A source related to department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah, they had set target to produce T-Aman paddy on a total of 104,750 hectares of land in the season. Although there were many calamities like severe drought like climate, price hike of important chemical fertilizer Urea and irrigation cost, they were in dilemma as the farmers could bring optimum land under T Aman farming in the season.
But their tension was over when the farmers had completed transplantation on 98 percent of target land. The remaining two percent will be covered as the transplanting season will continue till August 31, the sources said.
DAE sources said till August 28, the farmers already had brought 25,770 hectares of land in Jhenaidah Sadar, 18,730 hectares in Kaliganj, 6,225 hectares in Kotchandpur, 18,185 hectares in bordering Moheshpur, 24,920 hectares in Shailkupa and remaining 11,220 hectares in Harinakundu upazila.
Deputy Director of the DAE in Jhenaidah Khamarbari Asgar Ali when contacted said they had suggested the field level officials to stand by the farmers when they were in great trouble with irrigation water and price hike of fertilizers. Above all DAE is hopeful to produce 343,290 tones of rice where each hectare will provide 3.28 tones in the season. The farmers produced the same on a total of 104,621 hectares in the last season. The farmers in the district are courageous and very sincere about their crops. They have been playing role in agriculture sector production for decades together, Asgar Ali said.