Once abandoned, now green fields

Landless farmers in three upazilas are all smiles as the once abandoned char lands have now turned into green paddy fields.

The upazilas are Sariakandi, Dhunat and Sonatala.

Cultivation of local varieties of black Boro and white Boro, locally known as kalo Boro and sada Boro, on the abandoned char areas at the Jamuna and the Bangalee rivers in the upazilas has made the poor farmers happy.

The landless growers cultivated the paddy on the lands after recession of floodwater and emergence of char in the areas. They opt for kalo Boro and sada Boro as its production cost is less and it takes only four months to get the harvest.

The landless farmers have cultivated kalo Boro and sada Boro on 1660 hectares of abandoned lands in the char areas, said Md Faridur Rahman, sub-assistant agriculture officer of Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Bogra.

Of them, paddy on 180 hectares of lands in the Jamuna river char areas has been cultivated and the rest in Bangalee basin, he said.

Md Mokhles of Moirer Char in Sariakandi upazila said, “I along with five other farmers cultivated paddy on 25 bighas of land by spending Tk 3,000 for each bigha.”

Another grower Ansar Ali of Hindu Kandi village said if the water does not come early in the Jamuna, he expects seven maunds of paddy from each bigha.

The farmers started sowing the paddy saplings from the first week of December and finished within January this year like other previous years. If no natural hazards hit, they will harvest the paddy at the end of March, said the officer.

Sariakandi Upazila Agriculture Officer Mohammad Shahiduzzaman said people of the char areas are very hard working. They have been cultivating paddy on the abandoned lands following their recommendation which is palying an important role in national rice production.

Faridur said farmers plant this kind of indigenous paddy two months before the usual Boro paddy every year. It helps them to solve the rice crisis for their family members.