Boro harvesting facing serious setback in Rangpur

Our Correspondent | Published: May 15, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

RANGPUR, May 14: Harvesting of Boro paddy is facing serious setback in Rangpur distrct during the current season due to severe dearth of farm labourers.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said some 1, 35, 100 hectares of land were brought under Boro cultivation in  eight upazilas under Rangpur district this year and the growers are overjoyed with the yield they have attained so far.
Harvesting of the crop is going on across the region but farmers are facing problems in cutting, threshing and drying up their paddy and straw and other related activities.
It is learnt that after harvesting Boro, it needs to be threshed soon.  So, a lot of workers are required to harvest the crop. But the farmers have been facing acute worker scarcity recently. Farmers said at least 25 to 30 day-labourers are needed for harvesting Boro paddy from one hectare of land.
But it is now impossible to collect day labourers at a time here. Finding no other alternative, many farmers have started harvesting paddy with their near and dear ones.
A large number of day labourers of the region have gone to Comilla, Bogra, Feni, Sylhet and other areas of the country for working in the paddy fields during the ongoing harvest season as a result paucity of labourer has become acute in the region.
Besides, the wages of the farm labourers have increased for labour crisis. Farm labourers are interested to harvest on contract basis and the rate for harvesting of paddy per bigha land stands at Tk 2800 to Tk 4000, depending on category of land.  Many farmers said they have to delay their harvesting owing to shortage of day labourers.
A good number of farmers alleged that price of paddy is much lower this season even below the production cost but labour cost increased a lot.  Presently Per maund paddy is being sold at Tk 420 to Tk 450 whereas a labourer demands Tk 400 Tk 450 daily, they added.
Talking to The Financial Express some day labourers in Mithapukur and Badarganj upazila said, they returned from comilla after working there for several weeks as day labourer, they said adding that they get Tk 600 to Tk 750 plus meal daily for harvesting Boro paddy in Comilla, whereas in Rangpur the farmers give them only Tk350 to Tk 450 per day. For this reason they are eager to go there for work, they said.
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