The whole month of Agrahayan is essentially the aman harvest season, but harvesting of early varieties has already begun in Gaibandha. Farmers are busy bringing the golden paddy home from the fields.

Farmers say they are happy with a good yield this season, but with production costs up they are worried about getting a fair price. The agriculture department, however, claims farmers are unlikely to suffer losses at current market prices.

According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the target this year was 1,29,500 hectares of transplanted aman across Gaibandha's seven upazilas, and 1,29,699 hectares were planted. The aman production target has been set at 5,47,310 tonnes.

A visit to parts of Gaibandha Sadar, Palashbari and Sadullapur upazilas on Wednesday 9 November found farmers cutting paddy, tying it in sheaves and carrying it home on their heads or shoulders. Threshing is going on in courtyards on a limited scale, and the farmers are both busy and cheerful.

Abdul Kader, a farmer in Narayanpur village of Ballamjhar union, Sadar upazila, told Jago News there has been a bumper aman yield this year. "I grew paddy on five bigha. Today I cut the paddy on 20 decimals," he said. Harvesting will start in full in Agrahayan, but various early varieties have begun to be cut in some places towards the end of Kartik, he said.

Jabbar Mia, a farmer in the Bhatpara area of Ramchandrapur union, said that taking seedling raising, ploughing, transplanting, preparing ridges, weeding, fertiliser, pest control, irrigation, cutting and threshing together, the production cost of aman has risen by Tk 2,500-3,000 a bigha this year. "Profit or loss will depend on the price. If we do not get a good price, we will be in dire straits," he said.

Farid Arman, a farmer in the Materhat area of Betkapa union, Palashbari upazila, told Jago News that producing paddy costs Tk 10,000-12,000 a bigha this year, and each bigha will yield 15-18 maunds. If paddy prices are low, farmers will have to count losses.

Krishibid Mushfiqur Rahman, the agriculture department officer in charge of Ward 2 of Betkapa union, said that with the production cost per bigha of aman somewhat higher this year, farmers could be hit. If market prices do not match production costs, they could lose their capital to wholesalers and middlemen.

Belal Uddin, deputy director of the DAE in Gaibandha, told Jago News that the district's farmers did not face any major adverse weather in growing aman this year. With favourable weather and little pest attack, aman has yielded well, and paddy has so far been harvested on 6,105 hectares.

He also claimed there is no chance of farmers suffering losses at the current market price.

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