The farmers in Jhenaidah have started harvesting their desired transplanting Aman (T-Aman) paddy with great enthusiasms this season. About 25 percent of the paddy was harvested till now.
Although the paddy saplings at several areas were more or less affected by Brown Plant Hopper (BPH), locally known as Current Poka, the farmers had managed the situation applying additional pesticides with repeated dozes, said the sources related to local office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah.
Farmer Rawshan Ali of village Nadpara and Abul Hossain of Satgachhi village in Shailkupa upazila of Jhenaidah when contacted said they have started harvesting their T-Aman three days ago. They are receiving 30 maunds of paddy on an average from each bigha. A good number of the standing T-Aman plots were affected by Current Poka immediate after milky stage. It had thrown them in trouble. But they had managed the situation applying repeated dozes of the pesticides. It had increased the production cost of the paddy this season. Above all they are receiving good return from the fields, said Rawshan Ali and Abul Hossain.
The farmers said they are also benefited from the price of newly harvested paddy in the market as it is sold at Taka 1,100 per maund (40 kilograms). Further, the paddy straw, better known as bichali, will offer them Taka eight to ten thousand from each bigha of land. The rainfall in early October had blessed the farmers that had reduced the irrigation cost in the season, they said. DAE Jhenaidah office sources said the farmers in Jhenaidah, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa, and Harinakundu have brought a total of 104,612 hectares of land under the T-Aman farming in the season.
Of them 96,955 hectares were brought under high yielding varieties (HYV) and remaining 7,657 hectares under hybrid varieties. The farers are receiving 3.31tones HYV and 4.16 tones of hybrid in the season. The farmers in the last season had produced 348,550 tones of rice on 104,128 hectares of land, sources said.
DAE deputy Director Asgar Ali when contacted said the farmers in Jhenaidah are capable to manage any havoc like Current Poka. They always apply available modern technology, mchineries and advise of the DAE officials in the fields. About 25 percent of the T-Aan was harvested till November 12 (Friday). Entire harvesting might be completed by November 25, Asgar Ali expressed his hope.