SYLHET, Apr 20: The ongoing Boro harvest is being badly hampered due to the shortage of labourers.
Farmers in many areas, however, expressed disappointment due to poor yield. It is hard to manage Tk 400 per day labour cost where the yield is poor, they said.
"I am frustrated with my yield", said farmer Abdul Hannan in Jogonnathpur upazila.
Some farmers in Tahirpur upazila said only five to six maunds of paddy could be produced in a bigha of land. "In that case, it is hard for us to spend that amount for harvest", said Ataur Rahman.
Upazila agriculture officer of Tahirpur said the farmers are in trouble with low yield although things went well at the beginning. All these happened due to drought and delayed rains, he added.
Besides, lack of irrigation facilities in the region was a major cause for the low yield.
Anwar Miah of Derai said, "Most of the paddy plants on my 10 bighas of land had turned dry (locally called chita). It would not be possible to repay the loans, I had borrowed at the start of farming season."
Farmer Anil Das of Shulla upazila said the same. "I cultivated BRRI-28 this season. More than half the crop land had turned dry", he said.
Meanwhile, a number of farmers said they had transplanted BRRI-28 mostly for early harvest to avoid possible rains. But the plants were affected by 'Blast' disease and then damaged by hailstorms. The production would be less than half, they added.
Officials of citizens' forum 'Haor Banchao, Sunamganj Banchao' said the government should step in to help as the farmers had cultivated the early varieties of paddy like BRRI-28, BRRI-29 and BRRI-58 according to the suggestion DAE officials, but their hopes have been shattered.
Sources said facing such a predicament, the farmers are set to form a human chain at the upazila headquarters in haor region on April 28 to press their demand for direct purchase of paddy from farmers by setting up union-level purchase centres.
A memorandum would also be handed over to the concerned upazila food officers on the same day.
The Bangladesh Krishak Khet Mojur Sangram Parishad will organise formation of the human chain, sources informed.
Sources said, stopping "harassment" at the Land and Palli Bidyut offices will also be demanded.
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