On the backdrop of an acute shortage of farm labourers due to Corona crisis, farmers of Nabiganj upazila are using Combined Harvester machines to reap, thresh and sack the paddy from their fields.
The CH machines have been awarded to the farmers of the district of Habiganj at a subsidized price as a gift from the Prime Minister.
By using the machines, already some 65 per cent of paddy of the Haor region have been harvested. Farmers of the region are highly pleased by getting these machines timely to aid to bring their crop home.
Farmers of the region informed, UNO of Nabiganj Biswajit Kumar Paul was visiting frequently the haor region and assisting farmers with food and essential commodities.
Agriculture Office sources in Nabiganj informed, Boro paddy has been cultivated on 17,750 hectares of land of the district. To get rid of the grip of flood, farmers of the upazila started to reap paddy from April-20, even before fully ripening of the crop.
Moreover, on the directive of the Prime Minister, 15 Combined Harvester machines have been allocated for the farmers of the upazila. By using the machines, farmers were reaping and processing the paddy speedily. One machine can reap and process paddy of five acres of land daily.
Abul Mia of Gaznaipur village informed, it costs nearly Taka 10,000 to reap, thresh and process one maund of Paddy. Moreover, due to the labourer shortage, it took a long time and often the paddy is inundated by the flash flood. But, by using CH machine, a farmer can reap and process paddy of an acre of land at a cost of Taka 6,000 to 7,000 only.
AKM Maksudul Alam, Upazila Agriculture Officer of Nabiganj informed, there is a satisfactory production of paddy in the upazila due to a favourable climatic condition.
A special measure has been taken by the Department of Agriculture to save the standing paddy from the grip of natural calamities like advanced, fklash flood and heavy rainfall. To meet the labour shortage, labourers have been hired from outer districts.
Tamiz Uddin Khan, Deputy Director of Habiganj Agriculture Extension Department informed, there is a good crop production in the district. The farm labourers and the farmers are also happy with the incentives they are received from the Deputy Commissioner. There is no shortages of machines and labourers in the district.
Deputy Commissioner of Habiganj Kamrul Hasan has himself visited various Haor areas and advised the labourers to maintain health rules and to harvest paddy at the shortest possible time using CH.
He also donated foods, edible oil, masks and soaps to the labourers. He said, a comprehensive measure has been taken to harvest the paddy without any damage. There is no shortage of labourers and the administration remains active to resolve any problem of the farmers and the labourers, he added.
