The rise in fuel prices has hit transplanted Aman rice growers in Jamalpur. With little rain in the middle of the season, paddy on higher (kanda) land needs regular irrigation, but the sudden increase in the price of diesel has raised the cost of pumping. Many farmers cannot irrigate as much as their crop needs, and in places the soil of the paddy fields is cracking.

This season about 120,550 hectares across the district's 68 unions and 8 municipalities are under transplanted Aman, with about 5,000 hectares more under vegetables and other crops, according to Alam Sharif Khan, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Jamalpur.

Many farmers on higher ground depend on diesel-run irrigation pumps. To manage the extra cost some have reduced irrigation, and where pumping has stopped the fields are short of water. Farmers fear yields will fall if the crop is not watered in time.

Abdul Rahim Mia and Ibrahim Mondal, farmers of Bahadurpur village in Polbandha union, said irrigation now costs more than before, and the extra spending at this critical stage of Aman care is hard to bear. Kaddus Mia and Abdul Barek of the Sirajabad area said that, unable to give their land the water it needs, they are now waiting for rain.

Farmers said the costs of fertiliser, pesticide, labour and other inputs have also gone up, and dearer fuel has added to the cost of transporting fertiliser and other supplies.

They fear that if the paddy price does not rise in step with production costs they will end the season at a loss — and if yields fall, recovering even the cost of production will be difficult.

Reported by Bisshajit Deb for Dhaka Tribune.

Source: Dhaka Tribune