Agricultural Minister Md Abdur Razzaque said government is sincerely considering providing subsidy in Diesel priceto farmers during Boro season . The minister said this while attending a workshop titled “Sustainable Management of Underground Water for Food Security,” at city’s BRAC centre on Thursday. “We will need to do something to reduce farmer’s production cost even if the Russia-Ukraine war doesn’t end and internationally diesel price doesn’t come down,” said Abdur Razzaque. Also read: Incessant rains in Kurigram force Boro farmers to go for early harvesting As per the current high price the production will rise in this Boro season, he said.  “Subsidies will be needed to be provided in Diesel like in fertilizers and it’s under government’s consideration,” said the minister. The minister said due to lack of rain Aman plantation is being hindered which is concerning.  “If rainfall remains low Aman production will fall and it will also effect Boro production as farmers invest in it from the profit of Aman season” said Abdur Razzaque. “We don’t want to dependent on others for food as during instability in international market even after having dollars we cannot ensure availability of food products,” he added. Also read: Labour crisis worries Boro farmers in Jashore Emphasizing on sustainable irrigation system the minister said, “On the one hand, the government is working on to increase the use of surface water for irrigation, on the other hand, the irrigation efficiency is being increased by using buried pipes (underground pipes).”

Farmers of Jashore have become worried about the shortage of labour during this Boro paddy harvesting season. According to the district department of agricultural extension, a total of one lakh 85 thousand 505 hectares of Boro lands have been cultivated this year. Paddy production is also satisfactory in the district. But the labour shortage has become a cause of concern for growers.  Jashore farmers have so far harvested only 30 per cent of the Boro paddy.  Every year an acute labour crisis hits the farmers across the country during the Boro paddy harvesting period. Farmers  eagerly wait for the labourers to come from the northern districts including Rangpur and Dinajpur. But, due to financial solvency and alternative employment opportunities, the number of labourers is decreasing during Boro harvesting time. As a result, the demand for local labourers has increased in every district of the country. Jashore is no exception to it. Farmers said local labourers are demanding extra wages for paddy harvest. Some of them are taking advance payment and working half  the day taking advantage of the labour crisis. Labourers are being benefited from that. On the other hand, farmers are counting extra money for paddy harvest which will add to the additional cost of the total rice production.   Expert labour of Jashore is charging Tk 1,000 for half-day work and working at two fields of two separate farmers. His daily net income rises to Tk 2,000. Nevertheless, farmers are not getting enough labour in time to cut their ripe paddy. Also Read: Sunamganj farmers apprehend missing Boro harvest Abdul Khaleque, farmer of Hanua village under Monirampur upazila, said he has cultivated two bighas of land. But due to labour shortage, he could not harvest his paddy yet.  “I have booked some labours today with advance payment. They will cut my Boro paddy at their convenient time. This is not fair. But, I am bound to keep their conditions to save my paddy from further loss.” Echoing him, farmer Sohanur Rahman of Sirajsingha village of the same upazila said, the rate of day labour was Tk 800 before Eid. Now he cannot get the schedule of the labours even offering Tk 1,000. This week's cyclone ‘Ashani’ increased their workload as farmers feared that a hit can destroy their crops within a few minutes. Farmers made frantic efforts to harvest the Boro paddy before rainfall caused by the ‘Ashani’.  All farmers want to cut their paddy at a time which puts pressure on the labour market. Labourers are also taking advantage of the crisis.    Meanwhile, some volunteer organisations of the district have been harvesting the Boro paddy of the poor farmers free of cost.    Around 50-60 volunteers led by Haibatpur union parishad member Abdur Rahim, have harvested 10 bighas Boro paddy which came to the attention of the area.  Youths of the Uttar Lalidah are also harvesting the Boro paddy of the poor villagers.  Sheikh Sajjad Hossain, agriculture officer of Jashore sadar upazila said, “Farmers of the district have already harvested 30 per cent Boro crop. I hope they can cut the entire paddy within the next 10 days.” Confirming the acute labour crisis, Sajjad said only the use of the latest technology-based harvester can resolve the problem. The government is providing subsidized harvesters to the farmers, he added.        

Agriculture Minister Dr. Abdur Razzaque on Thursday said that boro farmers are getting fair price and harvesting paddy successfully.

Food Minister Sadhan Chandra Majumder on Wednesday directed all concerned to select farmers who cultivated boro in the current season through lottery.

Farmers in Kushtia are expecting a bumper production of Boro paddy this season as they brought vast tracts of land under cultivation exceeding the target despite labour crisis due to shutdown enforced following coronavirus pandemic.   This time, farmers cultivated Boro paddy exceeding the target in six upazilas of the district and harvesting has already started, said agriculture officials in the district.   According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), boro paddy was cultivated on 33,275 hectares of land in Kushtia in the current season with a production target of 1,99,650 metric tonnes.

Farmers in Chapainawabganj, who complained about not getting the fair prices of paddy in Aman  season, are now busy with boro crops hoping to recoup  their losses but some of them are apprehensive of another bad season.   There is no shortage of fertiliser, seed and irrigation, but farmers are worried about getting fair prices.  They said bringing down the prices of fertiliser and cost of irrigation will be helpful for them.   “We’ve been incurring losses for the last few years,” said Aminul Islam, a farmer from Bechenda area of Nachol upazila. He took loans for cultivating paddy but could not pay installment.   The price of aman was far below their expectation, the farmers said. In the 2018-19 fiscal year, Bangladesh produced 153.363 lakh metric tonnes of aman rice against a target of 140.839 lakh metric tonnes, according to the annual report of the Department of Agricultural Extension.