Amid nor'wester clouds beginning to form after a month of intense heat, Boro paddy harvesting in the haor region is nearly complete.
So far, 97 per cent of the country's leading paddy variety in haor area has already been harvested, according to the agriculture ministry, which could help farmers avoid possible rain and hail storms in the coming weeks.
Seven haor districts -- Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Sunamganj, Kishoreganj, Netrokona and Brahmanbaria -- cultivated a total of 453,000 hectares of Boro paddy this year. Some 438,000 hectares have been harvested till May 4.
Besides, 33 per cent of Boro paddy has been harvested across the country, according to the ministry press release issued on Sunday.
April this year was mostly rainless, with the mercury exceeding the records of the last five decades. People at many places gathered to pray for rain, seeking respite from the sweltering heat. However, haor people wanted rains not before harvesting the paddy as they face frequent incidents of flash floods that often cause damage to their crops.
According to the ministry, the government is subsidising combine harvesters and reapers for haor farmers by 70 per cent to speed up the paddy harvest and ensure farmers stock the rice promptly.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said over 4,400 combine harvesters are currently operating in the seven haor districts.
This year, an additional 100 combine harvesters were allocated, and machines from other parts of the country have also been brought in to accelerate the harvest, said the ministry press release.
Boro paddy cultivation this year crossed the target by around 20,000 hectares, with a total of 5.05 million hectares planted nationwide.
The target for Boro season rice production is 22.2 million tonnes, with the haor region expected to contribute over 2.0 million tonnes.
Agriculture Minister Dr Abdus Shahid said Boro contributes to more than half of the country's total rice production throughout the year.
"For this reason," he said, "we have placed significant emphasis on increasing Boro cultivation and yield this year."
The minister said farmers received Tk 2.15 billion worth of free seeds, fertilisers and other supplies for Boro cultivation.
"A successful nationwide Boro harvest will further strengthen our food security," he added.
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