Scanty rain hits T-Aman farming in Lalmonirhat

LALMONIRHAT, Aug 02: Farmers in five upazilas of the district and adjacent areas are facing a huge problem in cultivating T-Aman for want of adequate rainfall in the current season.

The farmers are passing days amid much anxiety as one-third of the Bangla month of Shrabon has already gone by and it is not raining the least even in this full monsoon.

They have already started planting T-Aman seedlings in their fields but the prevailing drought-like weather has put them in distress.

They cannot prepare their fields as needed for want of sufficient water.

The only option left to them now is to irrigate the fields with water taken from diesel-run shallow tube-wells.

Visiting some areas of the district, it was found that farmers were watering their fields using deep tube-wells.

A farmer in Mahendranagar area of Sadar upazila said use of pump water will raise the cost of T-aman cultivation; and this will ultimately shrink their profit.

Generally, farmers plant T-Aman using rainwater but this season there has occurred almost no rain in many parts of the northern region. Even heat wave is sweeping over the area for the last couple of days disrupting normal life.

Abdul Matin (45), a farmer of Sharpukur village of Adimari, said he planned to prepare 10 bighas of land for T-aman cultivation; but due to lack of rain he could not do that.

Now he is taking preparations to cultivate two bighas of land using water from diesel pump. As a result, he has to spend extra money.

Pump owner takes Tk100 per hour to irrigate one bigha land, increasing the total cost of farming, he said.

According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), Lalmonirhat, 86,500 hectares of land have been brought under T-Aman cultivation in the district this year.

Already 45 per cent of land has been cultivated. Now farmers are busy preparing their land by using water from nearest cannels and water pumps, not waiting for rainwater.

When asked, Deputy Director (DD) of the DAE, Lalmonirhat Hamidur Rahaman said farmers are planting T-Aman seedlings using shallow tube-well water and rainwater that is scantily available though weather forecast says within a few days it may rain.

T-Aman can be planted until the end of the month of Shrabon; so, there is nothing to be worried about, he added.