Boro cultivation in peril in three Khulna UZs

Our Correspondent KHULNA, Dec 13: The Boro cultivation on 8000 hectares of land in 22 unions of three Upazilas in Satkhira district has been adversely affected due to water logging in these cultivable lands for quite sometime. Thousands of farmers are at a loss for not being able to cultivate Boro after Aman crop. Sources said that a vast area of Tala, Debhata and Sadar upazilas of Satkhira district were flooded by overflowing Kabadak and Betna river and recent rains. Though the floodwater has receded from residential areas but crop lands are still under knee-deep water. Agriculture Extension Department source said that 70 thousand hectares of land have been fixed as target for boro cultivation in seven Upazilas of Satkhira district. Local public representatives and officers of administration assured the farmers to extract floodwater but no effective results have so far been found, said a Rustam Ali a victim of Tala Upazila. Nurul Islam, Convener of the Jalabodhota Niroshon Sangram Committee said that thousands acres of crop land are under water. If the flood water is not removed the farmers cannot cultivate their land and there will be no alternative left to pay the bank loan except selling their land.