Bhola has had a bumper aman crop this year, but its farmers are not smiling. They are struggling to recover from the damage done by Cyclone Sitrang, and say they can make up the loss and turn a profit only if paddy fetches a good market price. The agriculture department says this year's aman yield is higher than in the past several years, and that government incentives will be distributed among those affected.

On the ground, the aman crop has done very well across Bhola's seven upazilas. Golden paddy stands ripe in field after field, and in some fields farmers are cutting it in groups with enthusiasm. Even so, although the yield is much better than last year, Bhola's farmers are not happy. Cyclone Sitrang damaged aman paddy on 3,300 hectares across the district's seven upazilas at the end of October. Farmers say a good market price this time would let them recover much of the cyclone loss.

Md Nurul Islam and Md Nasir Ahmed, farmers from Guptamunshi village in Ward 8 of East Ilisha union in Bhola Sadar upazila, said they had each grown aman on two acres, spending about Tk 50,000. The crop is very good, but they are not happy with it because the cyclone destroyed 30 to 40 per cent of the paddy in their fields. The rest did well with proper care on the agriculture department's advice, and they are now harvesting it.

Md Hasan, a farmer from Ward 2 of West Ilisha union, said he got 30 to 35 maunds of paddy an acre last year. The crop is good this time, and he expects 40 to 50 maunds an acre.

Md Abul Kashem and Md Shamsuddin, farmers from Ward 7 of East Ilisha union, said they are cutting the paddy and taking it home but are not yet sure what price they will get. If they can sell at Tk 1,200 to 1,300 a maund, they can make up the cyclone loss.

Md Hasan Warisul Kabir, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Bhola, said aman was grown on what he gave as 1 lakh 75 hectares in the district's seven upazilas this year. The yield is higher than in the past several years, and farmers will profit well. If government incentives are received, he said, they will be given to farmers hit by Cyclone Sitrang.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.