Habiganj has had a bumper boro crop this year, and with no natural disaster farmers are able to bring it in without trouble, to the delight of farmers in the haor region.

Cultivation this season has exceeded the target, and with the larger area and bumper yield, the agriculture department hopes production will exceed its target too.

Visits to several haors in the district show that normally heavy rain starts at the end of Chaitra and the start of Boishakh, with nor'westers bringing hail. Excessive rain often brings early floods to the haor, submerging ripe and half-ripe paddy and causing severe damage, leaving farming families in distress. This year the picture is the opposite: Habiganj has had no storms and there is no fear of floods. The haor has a bumper crop and farmers are able to harvest properly.

The cultivation target in the district this year was 1,22,825 hectares, but 1,23,737 hectares were planted. The production target is 5,20,650 tonnes. To tackle the labour shortage, 479 harvester machines are cutting paddy in the haor this year. Farmers are happy with the good crop and favourable weather.

To protect farmers' crops from being submerged by rain as the global climate changes, the Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has developed several new paddy varieties. The new paddy yields 20 to 22 maunds a bigha, and natural disasters cannot do it much harm. Growing the new BRRI variety for the first time has given farmers hope, and those involved believe the country's food security will be ensured if farmers are free of risk.

Farmer Mahbubur Rahman said this year's boro yield was bumper and the crop very good. The weather is favourable, so the paddy can be brought in and dried properly. "We are happy to be able to harvest this year and hope to get a good price too," he said.

Abdul Jabbar said even a little rain usually submerges their haor paddy. This year they grew the new BRRI variety provided by the government, which ripens a little earlier, so they could cut it earlier. "We are happy with the good yield," he said.

Zafar Iqbal Chowdhury said the government distributed some improved paddy varieties among farmers this year that give good yields and can be harvested early, so floods cannot damage them. The haor region has had a bumper crop overall this year, which he hopes will help meet the country's food needs.

Dr Abu Sayeed, scientific officer at the BRRI Habiganj regional office, said the new BRRI varieties are short-duration, so farmers can harvest early and profit well: yields are good and they get higher prices for early harvest. Farmers must be encouraged to grow new varieties to meet the country's food shortfall, and researchers must support them at all times, he said.

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