Threshers get popular with paddy farmers in N dists

Threshing machines are particularly active across the northern districts of the country this year, during the harvest of Boro paddy. The diesel-run machines are proving economical and efficient for many, in light of a scarcity of available labour at reasonable rates.

In Nilphamari many farmhands head south during the harvest months to districts such as Comilla, Feni and Noakhali, and also to the Sylhet region where they can sell their labour at higher prices. It's a trend that creates a labour scarcity in the north, pushing up labour costs for farmers in Nilphamari too.

As a result many small-scale farmers are compelled to engage family labour to harvest the paddy, and to engage machines for threshing.

“Boro paddy was grown on 83,000 hectares in Nilphamari this year,” reports sub-assistant agriculture officer Anwarul Islam. “As a result, the district is on track to produce 3.5 lakh tonnes of rice.”

“To harvest each 30 decimals of paddy,” he continues, “including cutting the paddy, carrying the bundles to the farmer's yard, threshing, drying and storing the crop, about six or seven labourers are needed.”

For wealthy farmers the increased labour rates are often manageable but for small-scale and marginal growers enlisting family labour can be the only feasible solution, with threshing completed by hired machine.

“Two labourers need up to nine hours, at a cost of about Tk 800, to thresh 30 decimals of paddy,” estimates large-scale farmer Atiqur Rahman from Angarpara village in Nilphamari sadar upazila. “But a threshing machine along with an operator will complete the same task in around half an hour at a cost of only Tk 400.”

“Threshing machines separate paddy from straw more effectively than labourers can,” says another farmer, Sirajul Islam from Gayabari village in Dimla upazila. “The straw left from the mechanised process is so soft that cattle prefer it as fodder.”

Both farmers note that the time saved by threshing machines also adds value, allowing them to complete other work.

Each Nilphamari village these days houses five or six portable threshing machines, manufactured in local engineering workshops and selling for around Tk. 50,000 each.

“The thresher works day and night in peak Boro season,” says the owner of one machine, Afsar Ali of Domar upazila's Sonarai village. “We can thresh paddy from up to 25 bighas of land per day. After paying for diesel and the salaries of two operators working separate shifts, we can earn a daily profit of as much as Tk 10,000.”

“Around 80% of Boro paddy farmers in the northern districts now rely on threshing machines,” says Nilphamari district's deputy director of the department of agriculture extension, GM Idris. “Threshing machines are nowadays easily available, and save on labour, time and costs for farmers.”