Photo Feature

Golden Harvest

Photo: ZAHEDUL I KHAN

It is the month of Asharh and a season for farmers to rejoice: it is after all when Boro rice is harvested and taken to the market. This year has yielded a bumper crop which is definitely good news for Bangladeshis: 76 percent of them live in the villages and 90 percent of the rural population are directly involved in the cultivation of this major crop that feeds the entire nation. But the process of rice cultivation is not an easy one. It takes a minimum of three to four months to cultivate rice from the paddy fields, that too if the weather is favourable. More importantly, it requires the hard labour of the farmers-both men and women - to bring about this golden harvest even though they get very little in return. Even so, a good harvest, is always something to celebrate and brings about a festive mood in the villages.