Erratic power supply hampers Aman farming in Magura

MAGURA, Sept 24: Erratic power supply is hampering Aman paddy cultivation in Magura. Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Magura said, a total of 43560 hectares of land was brought under Aman cultivation in 4 upazilas of the district this year

Farmer's sources said, this is high time for irrigation in Aman land. But it is being hampered in the district due to erratic power supply. For want of irrigation Aman paddy in the district is getting discoloured and also being attacked by insects. The production target of Aman paddy in the district may not be achieved due to lack of power supply.  According to Power Development Board (PDB) Magura the total requirement of power in the district now is 7 MW while the supply is only 4 MW.

Abu Reza, a farmer of village Kullia under Magura Sadar Upazila said, "We face load shedding 10 to 12 times a day and outage of power for about 18 hours a day. In this situation how will we irrigate our Aman land?"

When contacted Magura DAE deputy director Mokhlesur Rahman said, load shedding during Aman season is a common incident in our country. He added as rainfall will cover the lack of irrigation. However the production target will be achieved, he said.    rokibul.dipu@gmail.com