481,521 hectares of land under Boro production in Sylhet region

SYLHET, Apr 02: Farmers as well as the officials of DAE expecting a far better yield this season as there had been a good weather in the region as yet. In only a few places some farmers started harvest of some early paddy varieties, an official informed on Sunday. However, some of them had to do that apprehending early heavy rains or stormy weather.

After the last year's colossal damage due to the devastating floods, the Boro farming had gone up this year. The previously set target of the division was exceeded as the plantation continued till mid-March, officials said.

The DAE earlier had set the Boro farming target on 475,389 hectares in the division. However, the crop is cultivated on about 481,521 hectares in these districts. It includes 269,446 hectares in haor region and the rest 212,075 hectares in non-haor areas.

The total includes 83,350 hectares in Sylhet, 54,012 hectares in Moulvibazar, 121,430 hectares in Habiganj and highest 222,729 hectares in the district of Sunamganj.

Additional Director, DAE Sylhet division Md. Altabur Rahman said this time the target is been surpassed since new areas came under cultivation. Yet the weather is good enough while the farmers now trying to get highest yield since they had suffered devastating crop loss last year.

As the last year's Boro crop was almost totally destroyed by the repeated and early floods and excess rains coupled with rolling down of waters from the upstream in the Indian states of Meghalaya and Assam, the farmers had worked much this time.

The government this year provided assistance in seed, fertiliser and cash to over 40,5000 listed poor and marginal farmers in Sylhet division. Of them highest 300,000 was in Sunamganj. The PM and the President as well as some ministers also visited the region to see for themselves.

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