Short duration paddy harvest begins in Gaibandha
Sunday, 9 October 2011
GAIBANDHA, Oct 08 (BSS): Harvest of short duration paddy has already begun in Gaibandha district amid much enthusiasm to the growers and the poor particularly the day and farm laborers.
Generally, in the months of Ashwin and Kartik of Bangla calendar the farm and day laborers become jobless after completing the transplantation of Aman seedlings in the field in the months of Shrabon and Bhadra.
The day and farm laborers also face seasonal job crisis and poverty like situation forcing them to move to big cities and other parts of the country and stay there until starting the
harvest of T-Aman paddy in the localities.
As the short duration paddy is harvested within 114 days from the sowing of seed and 30-45 days ahead of the normal harvest period of other T-Aman paddy and also creates working opportunities for the laborers during the off season, the field level DAE officials motivated the farmers to cultivate the variety this year.
As per their motivation, the farmers brought 9000 hectares of land under short duration paddy BINA-7, BRRI Dhan-33 and 49 and BU-1 cultivation during the current T-aman season with a production target of over 3460 metric tons of rice in the district.
On Wednesday, the harvest of the variety was formally inaugurated by cutting paddy on a land of one farmer Amir Ali at Putimari Village under Muktinagar Union of Saghata Upazila in the district.
Deputy Commissioner M. Shahidul Islam attended the function and addressed it as the chief guest and deputy director of DAE AH Bazlur Rashid was present as the special guest.
With Saghata Upazila agriculture officer M. Shawkat Ali Sarker in the chair, the ceremony was also addressed, among others, by UNO Abdul Latif Khan, executive director of Udayan Shwabolombee Sangstha Shahadat Hossain Mondal, Muktinagar UP chairman Abu Moyeen Prodha Labu and farmer Amir Ali.
The agriculture experts in their speeches said the farmers could cultivate early variety of vegetables and Rabi crops including potato, tomato, mug dal, onion, garlic, maize and mustard on the same land just after harvesting the paddy to get economical profit.