The field of Bengal has become alive with the touch of Hemant. The fields are full of golden rice. Gold is spread all over the field. Most of the land is under paddy, farmers are preparing the fields for harvesting and in some places harvesting has started. It has also become necessary to collect hay for the cattle in addition to their own food needs. Due to the high price of straw, many people have started cutting the paddy of the land before the whole paddy is ripe.
Farmer families are already busy with harvesting paddy, collecting paddy and drying straw. Along with the men, the women of the house are also having a busy time. Now rice is not threshed with cows and buffaloes as before, rice is separated from straw with modern threshing machines. As the men of the house are busy harvesting paddy in the field, the women of the house are doing work like blowing, drying and drying the paddy.
Nusrat Kabir, the official of Bera Upazila Directorate of Agriculture, said that the target of Aman paddy cultivation in Bera Upazila this season was 7,250 hectares of land. About 50 hectares of land has been cultivated more than the target in this season. During the Amon season, about 6 thousand 850 hectares or 54 thousand 800 bighas of sown Amon and 4 thousand hectares or 3 thousand 200 bighas of planted Amon paddy have been cultivated in Bera upazila. The target level of rice production is 11 thousand 989 metric tons. Out of which, woven Amon is 10,500,49 metric tons and Ropa Amon is 1,400,400 metric tons. During the Aman season, the improved varieties of Aman paddy, Brie-78, Brie-39, Brie-49, Swarna and Bina-7 and Bina-17 have been planted. Farmers of the area are becoming interested in cultivation of Bri-87 variety of high yielding 20 to 22 maunds per bigha. He expects the target to be exceeded due to favorable weather, good yield. An average yield of 15 to 17 maunds per bigha of planted Aman paddy and 6 to 7 maunds per bigha of sown Aman paddy is expected.
On Saturday when Bara came to sell rice at the C&B paddy market, Ropa Amon farmer A. Bari of Punduria village of Chakla union of the upazila, Azahar Molla, Md of Kaitola village of Kaitola union spoke. Anshar Ali, Keramat Ali said, only harvesting of paddy has started in the field, we have brought a few tons of paddy to sell. I sold Ropa Aman Bri-39 at the price of 1450 to 1500 taka. Farmer Kavi Montu Fakir of Haturia Paschim Para village, who came to sell the original variety of woven aman paddy at the market, said that he sold it at the price of 1300 to 1300 taka. Good prices have been received and due to absence of natural calamities, paddy yield has also improved this time. The farmers who came to sell rice in the market said that they will cultivate more rice in the next season due to the demand and good price of rice.
Cultivation of woven Aman paddy is more in the char area of Dhallar Char Union, Masumdia Union, Ruppur Union, Jatsakini Union and Haturia Nakalia Union of the upazila. Aksed Ali of Charsandashia village of Haturia Nakalia union, Tafiz Uddin of Charnagdah village, Fazlul Haque of Dhallarchar and talking to the farmers of different areas of the upazila said that the desired yield of Aman rice has been achieved due to the absence of pest and spider attacks.
Assistant Agriculture Officer Yunus Ali said, farmers are cultivating Bona Aman rice as the farmer does not spend much in the cultivation of woven Aman rice. It can be said that there is not much cost in the cultivation of woven Aman rice as fertilizers and pesticides are not used. If the yield is good, an average of 6 to 7 maunds of paddy is available per bigha. He thinks that the desired yield of sown Aman and Ropa Aman paddy has been achieved due to late arrival of monsoon water and not much flood in this season.
Shahidul Islam, a farmer of Brishalikha Mahalla in Bara Town area, said that he was very worried about Cyclone Sitrang. With a small impact of the cyclone, the paddy field could have turned upside down and turned into soil, but by the infinite mercy of Allah, our area was not harmed by the cyclone, only the Aman paddy planted by Sitrang fell to the ground. Even if there is no effect on rice yield, more workers are needed to cut rice. ABN/Nirmal Sarkar/Jasim/Galib
