Haridhan farming on the decline

Cultivation of Haridhan, discovered by Haripada Kapali in 2006, has decreased in six upazilas due to scanty rainfall.

Sadar upazila Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer (SAAO) Milon Kumar Ghosh said he is in charge of Sadhuhati union and visits the area very often. Haripada hailed from Ashan Nagar village in the union, he said.

“Haripada discovered haridhan variety in 2006 and its cultivation spread quickly as it is very productive. Four thousand hectares of land had been brought under Haridhan cultivation from 2006 to 2009. This continued for a few years. In course of time, cultivation decreased due to scanty rainfall. This variety is suitable for lowlands where rainwater remains stagnant. If rainfall is sufficient farmers can grow up to 20 to 22 maunds per bigha,” the SAAO said.

This year, only 20 to 30 bighas of land had been brought under this variety, but its cultivation has increased in the lowlands of Cumilla, Sylhet, Rangamati and Khulna. This variety is under research at Bangladesh  Agriculture University, Mymensingh, he added. 

Haripada's nephew Rupkumar Biswas said his maternal uncle passed away on July 6 in 2017.  “Haripada thought about how he could get bumper production, and always picked up tall paddy plants from the field,” Rupkumar said.

“One day, while working on plot BR-11, Haripada found a bunch of paddy which was stout and tall. Haripada took special care of it and facilitated its growth in a natural way. He sowed the seeds in separate places and measured the production. In this way he produced this variety and named it Haridhan. This is how its name and fame spread all around,” Rupkumar said.

Rupkumar added that he had cultivated Haridhan on 10 decimals of lowlands in 2017 and got bumper production. This year he has cultivated it on eight decimals and expects to get good production, he added.

Mozibur Rahman of the same village said he has cultivated Haridhan on one bigha this year and expects to get bumper production. Many farmers are not cultivating Haridhan due to shortage of water, he added.

Sadar Upazila Agriculture Officer Mofakkharul Islam said Haridhan is suitable for lowlands. Due to scanty rain the farmers are losing interest in this variety, he said, adding that it is available in flood-affected areas.

Department of Genetics and Plant Breeding, Bangladesh Agriculture University, Mymensing, Prof Dr Mohammad Anwar Hossain said whether this variety will be recognised or not will be decided by the government after thorough research and experiment.