Lockdown clears way for roadside paddy threshing

There are a total of 424 haor areas in Sylhet where boro paddy is cultivated. Due to a lack of free space in the region, local roads and highways are the first choice among farmers to dry and thresh their stock.

In the past, vehicular movement had always been a hindrance but now, amid a nationwide lockdown aimed at curbing the spread of Covid-19, farmers are carrying out such activities without any hassle.

"Many of us use roads and highways to thresh and dry our paddy after harvesting," said Mizanur Rahman, a farmer of Sreemangal upazila in Moulvibazar.

"In the past we usually tried to complete the task early in the morning, when vehicular movement is low, but the roads are free all day now due to the lockdown," he added.

During a recent visit to some villages in the region, this correspondent found that many local farmers are using the Juri-Kulaura-Barlekha upazila regional highway under Hakaluki Haor for this purpose.

"We have been using the highway for paddy processing as many farmers, especially the marginal ones, have hardly any space to do so," said Sharif Uddin, a farmer of Khagteka village in Juri upazila.

Commercial drivers in the region previously complained about roadside paddy processing as it hampered their activities.

"I found it difficult to travel on a number of highways in the area as farmers were processing paddy on them," said Motin Mia, a driver from Bhuai area under Juri upazila.

"As a result, we had to drive super carefully to avoid accidents," he added.

Mustafizur Rahman, a driver of Kulaura upazila, echoed the same.

"I had to frequently lower the speed when faced with paddy on the roads and highways," he said.

The mindless use of public roads for paddy processing disturbs vehicular movement but at least this is not the case this year amid the ongoing lockdown, Rahman added.

ATM Farhad Chowdhury, the upazila nirbahi officer of Kulaura, said that they are strictly maintaining lockdown procedures in the area for which farmers can thresh and dry their paddy on the roads with ease.

In normal times, around 2,000 vehicles including busses and trucks move along various roads in the region, especially the Moulvibazar-Barlekha and Moulvibazar-Sreemangal-Kamalganj highways.

The use of these roads for paddy processing caused serious problems for vehicular movement in the past but this is not the case this year due to the lockdown, Chowdhury said.

Dilip Kumar Adhikary, additional director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) office in Sylhet, said most farmers in haor areas thresh and dry their paddy on roads.

Adhikary went on to say that farmers cultivated boro paddy on 483,705 hectares of land this year with a production target of 1,937,978 tonnes from the 424 haors under four districts of Sylhet.

The DAE has provided all the necessary cooperation and advice to farmers since the beginning of this season, he added.