Boro Harvest: Good yields bring joy to haor farmers

Farmers in Sunamganj are passing busy days harvesting Boro paddy, which is their staple crop.

As there are no forecasts of heavy rainfall and early flash floods this year, the farmers are collecting their paddy in relative comfort. Also, temperature remains low in the Sylhet region compared to other regions of the country.

The harvesting started on Pahela Baishakh, the first day of the Bangla new year.

The local agriculture office expects bumper production of Boro paddy this year as the weather was favourable.

Joynul Miah, a farmer of Dekhar Haor in Shantiganj upazila, said, "After so many years, the yield is very good this year. Keeping enough paddy for family consumption, I can sell at least 50 maunds of paddy this year."

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension in Sunamganj, 79.5 percent (1,21,436 hectares) of Boro paddy in the haor areas and 25 percent (11,661 hectares) on the high land has been harvested as of yesterday.

This year, 2,23,407 hectares have come under Boro cultivation, 162 hectares beyond the target, the DAE data show.

The DAE expected that production would exceed the target of 13,70,200 tonnes of paddy.

Abdul Karim, another farmer of Dekhar Haor, said, "I grew Boro paddy on five acres of land. In the last couple of years, my crop was damaged by flash floods, but the sunny weather brought me good luck this season."

While most farmers are happy with the yield, a few are struggling to get labour to harvest the crop.

Abdul Gofur, of Sunamganj's Jagannathpur upazila, said, "Usually 50 labourers from Sirajganj come to harvest paddy in my village every year. But this time they did not come, leaving us in a crisis of labour. As it is drizzling sometimes, combine harvesters don't work properly on muddy fields."

According to the DAE, around 1,000 combine harvesters are employed to harvest paddy along with about 120 reaper machines.

Contacted, Bimol Chandra Shom, deputy director of the DAE in Sunamganj, said, "The labour shortage is temporary as most farmers want to harvest their produce as early as possible. We are hopeful that the harvest will be completed by May 3."