Once the indigenous varieties of paddy were cultivated on a large scale in haor areas in Sunamganj. But with the passage of time the native paddies have almost disappeared thanks to the arrival of high-yielding hybrid varieties. Local farmers and others involved with agriculture blamed the growing dominance of multinational companies and hybrid paddy cultivation. Just two decades ago, the haors such as Shani, Matian, Mahalir and Bordi Gurmas in Tahirpur upazila of the district had been thriving with various native varieties of Boro paddy, grown to shield against floods. Indigenous Boro paddy was easy to cultivate with no fertilizers or pesticides. These varieties were resilient to climatic changes, surviving excessive rainfall or drought with minimal impact and even didn’t need irrigation. However, in recent years, the rise of hybrid paddy and the aggressive dominance by multinational companies are pushing the traditional varieties out of the fields. In search of higher yields, farmers are shifting to hybrid paddy as the government is encouraging hybrid paddy cultivation to ensure food security and self-sufficiency. Despite this shift, Tahirpur Upazila Agriculture Office continues to advise farmers to preserve seeds of local paddy varieties alongside high-yield hybrids. Among the native varieties that have already disappeared from the haor region are Rata, Gachi Shail, Najishail, Lakai, Pani Shail, Bor, Tepy, Rangila Tepy, Rajashail, Begun Bichi, and Boro Zira. These varieties, once used to prepare delicious dishes for guests, were not only known for their taste but also their nutritional value. Read: Govt to procure 51,973 MT paddy from Khulna amid bumper harvest Local agriculture officials said that the low yield of indigenous paddy has caused farmers to lose interest in cultivating. Now varieties like BRRI Dhan-28, BRRI Dhan-29, BRRI-1203, and Shakti are now the dominant crops in the haors. In Shani Haor of the upazila, farmer Jasim Uddin said that cultivating indigenous paddy used to be cheaper and during harvest time, the village was filled with traditional snacks like pithas (rice cakes), payesh (rice pudding), chira (flattened rice), khoi (puffed rice), and muri (puffed rice). These celebrations have now disappeared. He also said that indigenous paddy cultivation did not require excessive use of fertilizers or pesticides. Echoing Jasim, another famer Satyar Ray said that they didn’t need to buy paddy seeds from the market in the past. They would simply store some of their harvest to use as seeds for the following year. However, now they must purchase expensive seeds every year, and they also need to apply large amounts of pesticides, fertilizers, and water to achieve satisfactory yields, he recalled. Asaduzzaman, plant conservation officer at Tahirpur Upazila Agriculture Office, shared that farmers are opting for high-yielding paddy varieties to get more benefits. Read more: Bumper Aman paddy yield brings joy to farmers in Chapainawabganj He said that during various training sessions organised by the agriculture office, they encourage farmers to preserve indigenous paddy seeds along with hybrid varieties. Despite the lower yield, indigenous paddy is sold at a higher price in the market, he observed.

Floodwater started entering Baram and Darakhai Haors in Derai and Jagannathpur upazilas of Sunamganj on Thursday overflowing the flood protection dam in Kalni River, causing worry to local farmers. Following the authority’s instruction farmers of Sunamganj haor region have started harvesting half-ripe paddy to reduce losses. Water overflowed from Kalni River through the middle part of Chandipur-Khejaura since Thursday morning, said Mahmudur Rahman, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Dirai upazila. Read: Modern launch terminal to be constructed in Chandpur About four thousand hectares of land were cultivated in this haor. According to the locals, 60 per cent of the paddy in the haor has been harvested. If flooding in haor continues, the rest of the paddy will go under water. Bimal Chandra Som, deputy director of the district Agricultural Extension Department, said another crops on 1,000 hectares of land in Baram Haor has not been harvested yet. However, most of the crops of Pathar Haor have been reaped. The harvesting  of Boro paddy is still continuing in these two haors, the official added.

Farmers in the Tahirpur haor area of Sunamganj fear they may be deprived of their Boro harvest this year, with the possibility of further flash floods in the days ahead on the back of heavy rainfall in the northern and eastern part of India. Boro paddy of Tahirpur upazila has just started ripening. Normally, farmers of the haor areas would go for harvest within 7-10 days. But another flash flood between now and then could damage the crop entirely.  According to the forecast of the Bangladesh Meteorological Department, water level at some points of Surma, Kushiara, and Jadukata rivers may cross the danger level due to incessant downpours in the hilly areas of India including Assam and Meghalaya from April 10 to 17.      In the last week, around 7000 hectares of Boro lands of Tanguar haor, Eraliakona, and Gunnakuri haor under Tahirpur upazila became inundated due to an onrush of water downstream breaking past the protection embankment. Local farmers of these areas are now guarding the remaining embankments in phases as these are very weak and ill-constructed. Also read: Thakurgaon farmers fear crops loss after hailstorm The Water Development Board has repaired the 53-kilometre long submersible crop protection embankment and 10 closures through 68 Project Implementation Committees (PICs). The cost to implement the project was Tk 12 crore 83 lakh. However, the embankment and the closures are not perfectly repaired and repair work remains incomplete. The local administration along with the farmers are working to repair the cracks on the embankment.