The ongoing harvest of Transplanted Aman (T Aman) paddy in Jhenaidah has become a bittersweet affair for farmers, as a severe infestation of the "Current Poka" pest has severely damaged crops and eroded their anticipated profits, turning a season of hope into one of struggle.
While farmers across the district's six upazilas—Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa, and Harinakundu—have begun harvesting with traditional festivity, the visible damage from the pest has cast a dark shadow. According to sources from the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah, approximately 20 percent of the crop has been harvested so far, but a significant portion of the yield has been lost.
The ground-level impact is stark. Farmers Abdul Malek (55) and Jalil Mandal (45) from Nadpara village in Shailkupa upazila shared their grim calculations. While they expect a yield of around 20 maunds per bigha, the math is unforgiving.
With an expected selling price of Tk 24,000 to Tk 26,000 per bigha, their profit margin is slim to none after accounting for a minimum expenditure of Tk 16,000 on seeds, fertilizers, irrigation, and labour. Both farmers stated that the only saving grace is the paddy straw, which they hope will fetch around Tk 6,000, potentially turning their loss into a marginal profit.
The primary culprit behind this financial distress is the "Current Poka" (a local term for a stem borer or similar pest). Farmers reported that the pest attacked aggressively when the paddy grains were in the milky stage, destroying an estimated 20 percent of the grains.
To save their crops, farmers were forced into a costly battle. "We had to spray pesticides five to six times this season, when normally two sprays are sufficient," the farmers lamented. This repeated application significantly increased their production costs, further squeezing their already thin profits.
The severity of the pest attack has been acknowledged by agricultural officials. Arifuzzaman, the Upazila Agricultural Officer (UAO) of Shailkupa, confirmed the "severe attack" and stated that farmers managed the havoc by spraying pesticides repeatedly.
He admitted that the pest infestation hampered optimum production and forced farmers to spend additional money. Echoing the farmers' sentiment, UAO Arifuzzaman added, "The paddy straw will make up the deficiency caused by the Current Poka."
On a broader scale, the DAE sources reported that farmers in Jhenaidah cultivated T Aman on 104,500 hectares of land, slightly exceeding the government target of 104,490 hectares. The average yield is projected to be 3.50 tonnes per hectare.
However, this official figure masks the individual losses and financial strain faced by farmers like Abdul Malek and Jalil Mandal, for whom a season of hard work has been undermined by a relentless pest, leaving them counting costs instead of celebrating a bounty.
