SYLHET, Jan 24: Paddy farmers of all the four districts of Sylhet division are passing busy time during the current Boro season.
Additional director of DAE, Sylhet divisional office, Md Altabur Rahman said farmers are growing Boro with their heart to recoup the massive losses they counted during the last monsoon.
Although the farming is being hampered in some areas of Sunamganj district's lower region due to late recession of waters from haors, the scene is different on the rest of the division, the official added, however, things would be changed in a week or two.
A total of 347,137 hectares of land had so far been cultivated in the division where as it was 363,583 hectares on same day last year, according to a report prepared by the divisional office of the DAE. It is about 73 percent of the year's target. The total includes 227,065 hectares in the haor region and the rest 120,072 hectares in non-haor areas.
The cultivated area includes 77,017 hectares of hybrid, 256,765 hectares of different high yielding varieties and 13,355 hectares of local varieties of Boro.
Earlier seedbed on a total of 27481 hectares of land was made against the season's target of 23,700 hectares. It includes 5243 hectares in Sylhet, 3290 hectares in Moulvibazar, 6090 hectares in Habiganj and the rest 12,858 hectares in the district of sunamganj, highest Boro producing area, the official informed referring the district level reports.
The DAE had earlier set the Boro farming target on 475, 389 hectares in the region, including 81056 hectares in Sylhet, 52711 hectares in Moulvibazar, 119,0 70 hectares in Habiganj and the highest 222,552 hectares in the district of Sunamganj.
The trend of raising the cultivation area of the major crop proves the farmers would try achieving the highest yield this season, the official said further.
Farmer Sayeed Mia of village Rajanagar under Derai upazila of Sunamganj said, "We are still preparing the land for Boro farming. It will complete in a week."
The farmers also said people in many areas of Sunamganj and Habiganj are yet suffering due to late recession of waters from the Boro paddy lands.
The last year's Boro crop was almost totally devastated 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.
With a target to recoup the losses the government this year provided assistance in seed, fertiliser and cash for over 40,5000 listed poor and marginal farmers this year in this region.
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