Aus production fall upsets farmers
Farmers in the district are worried as their hope of getting bumper production was shattered due to the damage caused by the prolonged flood this season.
They are not getting even one-third of the expectated production of Aus this year, though they got expected production last year, farmers said, adding that they cultivated Aus on more land this year with the dream of getting bumper production.
Manindranath Sarker, 48, a farmer of Kodalkhata village in Sadar upazila, said he got only 19 maunds (1 maund = 40 kg) of Aus paddy from three bighas of lands, but his expectation was at least 60 maunds. “I got 43 maunds from two bighas last year, so I cultivated Aus on one more bigha this year,” he said, adding that the paddy was under floodwater for five days.
“If there had been no flood in the area I would have got 22 maunds to 25 maunds of Aus paddy from each bigha, but the flood has caused a fall in production,” said Surendranath Sarker, 52, of the same village.
Shamsher Ali, 55, of Basuriya village said standing Aus paddy on his five bighas of land was under floodwater for seven days and was badly damaged. “I got only 30 maunds of paddy, but I could have got 100 maunds to 120 maunds if there was no flood,” he added.
“We could not recover even our investment from farming Aus this year due to flood,” said Taleb Ali, 62, of the same village. “Aus is our additional crop and it plays an important role in our livelihood, but the flood did not allow expected production this year,” he added.
Lalmonirhat Department of Agriculture Extension Deputy Director Bidubhushon Roy said Aus was cultivated on 853 hectares of land this year, while it was 750 hectares last year.
Aus paddy was damaged by floodwater, so farmers will have to prepare their lands for cultivating different crops, especially paddy, to recoup their losses in the next season, he added.
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