Cold, fog damage Boro seedlings
Prolonged cold spell and dense fog in the district has damaged a large portion of Boro seedlings in seedbeds and many more are facing damage, causing worries for the farmers.
“Prolonged fog and cold spell have not only hit us, they are now threatening to damage our crops,” said farmer Maqbul Hossain, 58, of Sakoya village in Aditmari upazila. “Fifty percent of Boro seedlings on my eight decimals of land have been damaged and the rest are facing threat of being damaged,” he added.
“Around 30 percent of Boro seedlings on my 20 decimals of land have been damaged and the rest are not growing normally due to the fog and cold,” said Sabed Ali, 63, another farmer of the same village.
“The Boro seedlings would have grown to 15 to 18 inches high, but now they are below 10 inches due to the fog and cold,” said Nazrul Islam, 65, a farmer of Chandrapur village in Kaliganj upazila. “I planted Boro seedlings on 30 decimals for farming Boro paddy on four acres this season, but most of the seedlings are likely to be damaged due to fog and cold,” he added.
“I protected Boro seedlings on 12 decimals with polythene during the night, but the seedlings in another four decimals were damaged as there was no polythene covering,” said Nazimul Islam, 58, of Barua village in Sadar upazila. “Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) officials advised us to irrigate the seedling beds, but I can't do it due to the cold,” he added.
District DAE Deputy Director Bidhubhushan Roy said Boro seedlings have been planted on 3,495 hectares of land with the target of farming Boro paddy on 51,095 hectares in five upazilas this season.
He told this correspondent that a longer spell of cold may kill Boro seedlings, causing production to fall far behind the target. “We cannot stop the cold wave, but measures can be adopted to minimise damage to crops,” he said, adding that DAE officials advise farmers to cover Boro seedlings with polythene during the night and supply irrigation as required.
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