SYLHET, July 14: Farmers have started cultivation of transplanted Aman (T-Aman) paddy in Sylhet division in a bid to recoup the crop losses caused by the recent and ongoing floods, officials and a number of farmers said.
Contacted, additional director of the Sylhet divisional office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Md Matiuzzaman told this correspondent that many farmers have started preparing Aman paddy seedbeds in the fields from where floodwater has receded in the last few days.
The farmers have prepared seedbeds on 4,135 hectares out of the targeted 21,460 hectares of land in four districts of the division where Aman paddy is considered as the main crop.
Meanwhile, the government has given seeds and fertilisers as incentives for 14,800 flood-hit farmers in Sylhet region while 14,000 more affected farmers will also be provided with the same.
The total agricultural inputs sanctioned for the farmers are worth Tk39.4 million (Tk3.94 crore), the additional director said, adding distribution of the agricultural inputs is going on.
The division's production target of Amam paddy has been set at over 1.1 million tonnes from the total 418,000 hectares of land, sources informed.
In most of the areas, farmers are busy preparing fields and seedbeds, said farmer Abdul Bari of Turukbag village in Golapganj upazila of Sylhet.
Abdul Malik of Alirgaon in Gowainghat upazila said as most of the crop lands went under water again for excessive rains, farmers cannot work for transplanted Aman farming. They have to wait for the recession of floodwater again, he added.
During the last year's Aman season, cultivation of the crop was good due to overall favourable climactic condition.
The production target was surpassed by farmers in the region last year.
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