Pest attack worries Aman farmers in Lalmonirhat
Pest (current poka) attack on Aman paddy has upset farmers in the district as they are worried that they may not get expected production this year, in spite of spraying prescribed pesticide on the affected fields.
Lalmonirhat Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Deputy Director (DD) Bidhubhushon Roy said Aman has been cultivated on 84,845 hectares of lands in five upazilas this year. Official records show that only 130 hectares of land have been attacked by pests in the district, but farmers estimate that the figure will be around 1,000 hectares.
Afzal Hossain, 55, of Ghonabari village in Patgram upazila, said he cultivated Aman on six bighas of land, of which four bighas have been attacked by pests. “I am spraying prescribed pesticide but not getting expected result, so I have given up hope of getting production this year,” he said.
“Low rainfall this year is the reason behind the alarming pest attack,” said farmer Nabir Hossain, 65, of the same village, adding that three of his eight bighas of Aman fields have been attacked by pests. “It is uncertain that I will get the expected production of Aman this year,” he said, adding that almost all the farmers in his village have been affected by pest attack on Aman.
Azizul Islam, 55, of Bawra village in Patgram upazila, said his three bighas of Aman field were attacked by pests overnight. “Pest attack on Aman field is common in our village this season,” he said.
Noor Muhammad, 67, of Barakhata village in Hatibandha upazila, said they are not getting advice from DAE officials to save their Aman fields from pest attack. “We are upset over the pest attack in our Aman fields,” he said, adding that two of his six bighas of Aman have been attacked by pests.
“We have no chance to get even 50 percent of Aman production in our village this year as pest attack has shattered our hope of getting expected production,” said Nazrul Islam, 56, of Gaddimari village. “Due to low rainfall this year, we cultivated our field for Aman farming by using irrigation water, so we had to incur additional cost,” he added.
Shahjahan Ali, 38, of Khochabari village in Sadar upazila, said almost all of his four bighas of Aman paddy fields have been attacked by pests and he is not getting any result after spraying prescribed pesticide. “We are going to face serious production fall of Aman this year,” he said.
The DD of DAE told this reporter that DAE officials are working in the field to advise farmers on how to save their crop from pests. “We are circulating leaflets among the farmers to build awareness,” he said.
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