Rain forces Kurigram farmers to go for early harvest

KURIGRAM, May 16 (UNB): Farmers in the eight unions in sadar upazila of Kurigram adjacent to Marakhal river basins were seen harvesting half-ripe paddy to minimise their losses due to heavy downpour.

Zakir Hossain, agriculture officer of Kurigram Sadar Upazila, said that 1,16,000 hectares of land have been brought under Boro cultivation in the district this season.

Of these, 13,120 hectares of land have been cultivated in Sadar upazila. Already 25 per cent of paddy has been harvested in the district, he added. "But farmers are worried about the rest of the paddy."

Abed Ali, a farmer in the Shulkur Bazar area of Panchgachhi union of Sadar upazila, said, "Due to the downpour for the last three days, half-ripe paddy on his two and a half acres of land went under water. "Now I have to pay extra money to workers for harvesting this paddy."

Farmers Abed Ali and Habibur Rahman said that half of their paddy were submerged due to excessive rains. "We are cutting paddy in the hope of getting straw," they added.

Abdur Sabur Mia, in-charge of the Rajarhat Agricultural Meteorological Observatory, said 209mm rainfall has been recorded in Kurigram in the last three days. He forecast heavy rains and thundershowers with gusty winds in the next two to three days.