Clicky
Editorial

Drought affects Aman cultivation, jute harvesting

Take measures to keep irrigation pumps operative


Bangladeshpost
Published : 05 Aug 2022 09:02 PM

The drought-like situation due to scarcity of rain is seriously affecting timely jute harvesting and aman paddy cultivation across the country. Country’s most farmers depend on rainwater for aman paddy cultivation and rotting and processing the jute fibre during the monsoon.

It is the full monsoon period, but the rain fall has been below normal till date. Every year in July, the country’s different districts  record 700 mm of rainfall, but this year the weather office has so far recorded only 170 mm of rainfall. Farmers usually cultivate aman paddy from July 1 to July 31, but this year, even in the second week of July, aman growers failed to prepare an aman seedbed.

As rains usually drench the country in June and July, farmers prepare their lands for aman cultivation and rot the jute to harvest jute in water bodies. Farmers are humming towards the jute farming as they are getting lucrative prices for its produce during the last couple of years giving a message of getting back to the golden era of the cash crop in near future.

The authorities 

concerned must take necessary measures to 

keep farmers’ irrigation 

pumps operative 

But this year, all the canals and water bodies dried up and farmers did not get adequate water for rotting jute. However, some growers have got scopes of decomposing their jute in lease-free water bodies as the district administration has taken necessary steps in this regard this year.

On the other hand, the low rainfall may bring down output of the country’s second biggest crop aman in the next season. 

The shortage of rain might also hinder achievement of the target of aman cultivation in this season. The aman crops planted using the alternative sources, were also going to dry up due to the paucity of rain.

We know the incumbent government always remains beside farmers of the country and it takes all the necessary steps to help farmers during any crisis. If the drought continues, the farmers will suffer losses. Aman growers will not be able to cultivate aman paddy on the same land on time, which may lead to food crisis.

Therefore, the authorities concerned must take necessary measures to keep farmers’ irrigation pumps operative. Besides, necessary advice will also have to be given to the farmers in this regard immediately.