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June
22, 2000
Kushtia,
June 21 (UNB) – The farmers of the district are likely to suffer a
set back due to low production of IRRI-boro and low price of the
paddy.
Sources
said harvesting of boro has already been completed but the production
is less than the expectation due to the storm, which lashed the
district several times at the beginning of May.
Farmers
got bumper production last year and as a result they had utilized
their land in full capacity this year.But the production is very poor
as many power pumps did not work for want of electricity and fall in
the groundwater level.
A
total of 29,510 hectares of land was brought under the cultivation in
the district but the production of per hectares was less than the
previous season due to the natural calamity.
On
the other hand, the middlemen are controlling the market price of
paddy at the cost of the growers.
Government
has not yet started purchasing paddy from the growers who need
immediate money to repay the loan and the water charge of the rich
farmers.
A
senior official of Agriculture Extension Department of Khulna told UNB
that the yielding of boro paddy this season would be 30 to 35 percent
less than the target.
Bittipara,
Bhadalia Ujangram, Laxipur of Sadar upazila, several villages of
Mirpur and Bheramara upazila are known as the best paddy growing areas
of the district. But the growers of these areas will incur a heavy
loss for the problems, which they faced in the period of maturing
stage of the paddy plant.
Severe
nor’westers accompanied by hailstorms during pre harvesting period,
high temperature during maturity stage of paddy and irrigation crisis
due to sharp fall in ground water level in the peak irrigation season
made the bumper production impossible, the officials said.
The
growers alleged that the supply of fertilizer was inadequate and it
was of low quality. They also alleged that the price of fertilizer was
high during the peak season (February-April).
Besides,
a good number of irrigation machines were rendered inoperative due to
abnormal fall in ground water level during the last March and first
half of April.
The
price of the newly harvested paddy in the different markets was
showing a downward trend from the first week of this month in the
absence of government procurement drive. The paddy, per maund, is
being sold between Tk 210 and Tk 230 in the market.
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