PABNA, Sept 10: High price of seedlings hits Aman cultivation in nine upazilas of the district and adjacent areas. The acute crisis of seedlings prevails in Greater Pabna district, causing anxiety among the farmers.
Seedbeds were damaged by incessant rain and water-logging, sources said. Officials of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) here said 3,520 hectares of land were prepared for seedbeds with a target of cultivating Aman paddy on about 57,000 hectares of land this year.
But most of the seedbeds went under water in the nine upazilas of the district and adjacent areas. As a result, the farmers of these areas have to buy seedlings from different haats and bazars at high prices.
Khairul Islam, a farmer of Atghoria upazila, said last year he cultivated Aman paddy on nine bighas of land. But this year his hope has been partly shattered by seedling crisis.
He transplanted Aman seedlings on four bighas of land, leaving the rest uncultivated till now due to lack of seedlings, Khairul said, adding that now he had no ability to purchase seedlings from markets at high rate.
SM Alauddin, another farmer of Sadirajpur, went to Tebunia Haat to buy seedlings, but he got disappointed with high prices of seedlings.
After visit to Awatabapar, Tebunia, Bonogram, Hazira, Chinakhara, Ourkhula, Dashuria, and Dhanuahata haats in the district recently, this correspondent found that one bundle of seedlings was selling at Tk 3-5. But it was Tk 1.5-2.00 per bundle last year.
According to the farmers in different areas, they have spent Tk 8,00-Tk 1,000 on cultivation of paddy per bigha this year, but they spent Tk 5,00-Tk 6,00 last year.
Bibhuti Bhushon Sarkar, Deputy Director of Pabna DAE, said seedlings on vast tracts of land were damaged by rainwater. Despite having high prices of seedlings, he was optimistic about good production of Aman paddy.
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High price of seedlings hits Aman farming in Pabna
Our Correspondent | Published: September 11, 2015 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00
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