<i>Amon</i> yield to miss target in Moulvibazar
Amon paddy production in the district is likely to fall short of target by 33 thousand 536 metric tonnes (MT) this season.
This is because of major damage of Amon by floods and hurricane Sidr.
Paddy on 45 thousand 228 acres of land were damaged in Baralekha, Rajnagar, Kulaura Juri, Kamalganj and Sadar upazilas.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials said Amon production target was fixed at three lakh 89 thousand 733 MT. Following floods and hurricane, officials expected 3 lakh 75 thousand 333 metric tonnes of paddy.
Agriculture officials said originally two lakh 64 thousand 487 acres of land was targeted for Amon cultivation in seven upazilas. After the September flood, two lakh 64 thousand 333 acres of land were targeted for paddy cultivation. But farmers could not cultivate paddy on 45 thousand 154 acres of land.
Sidr damaged ripe paddy on 74 acres of land, DAE sources said. Pests also damaged paddy in Ekatona union in Sadar upazila and some other areas in Kamalganj upazila.
DAE deputy director (DD) Laxmi Kanta Pondit said farmers harvested 15 percent of paddy till Monday. On average, farmers yielded about 5 to 5.50 metric tonnes of paddy from 2.47 acres of land, he said.
While visiting several areas, this correspondent saw that paddy harvest had been hampered due to shortage of labourers. Even in some areas, the farmers could not harvest paddy due to water logging.
Farmers have cultivated BR 11, BR 30, BR 31, BR 32, BR 33 and BR 39 varieties of paddy, both the DAE officials and farmers said.
About 60 percent farmers cultivated BR 11 variety of paddy giving a good yield, farmers said.
But DAE workers encouraged farmers to cultivate BR 30, BR 31, BR 32, BR 33 and BR 39 varieties of paddy, they said.
Comments