Thanks to advances in technology, land is now ploughed with tractors instead of ploughs. Bad weather from natural disasters delayed cultivation this year, and a number of aman seedbeds were damaged. Farmers fear a seed shortage as a result.
Rainwater is largely a blessing for farmers, but excessive rain has turned that blessing into a curse. Many seedbeds were flattened by the rain and are no longer fit for transplanting. Meanwhile, Jhalakathi farmers have ploughed their land with tractors to prepare it for aman, and many are busy transplanting seedlings after lifting them from the seedbeds.
Because of natural water, the crop does not need irrigation, which has cut costs. But with fertiliser, pesticide, diesel and labour costs up, farmers are worried about making the profit they hope for. They are demanding action against an artificial fertiliser crisis.
Hoping for a good profit, farmers toil in the fields from morning to afternoon without tiring. Growing aman on one bigha costs a farmer up to Tk 18,000.
Complaints of a fertiliser syndicate
Farmer Kamrul Hossain said that for several years, chemical fertiliser has been needed after rice seedlings are transplanted, and at that time dealers and fertiliser traders form a syndicate and push up prices. Then fertiliser cannot be found even after going from shop to shop.
Another farmer, Abdul Hai, said traders have for several years formed a syndicate to raise fertiliser prices through an artificial crisis. Even when this happens, the authorities say there is no fertiliser shortage, which is unfortunate for farmers. In reality, the administration must play its proper role to end the crisis, he said.
Md Monirul Islam, deputy director of the DAE in Jhalakathi, said: "Aman is being grown on 46,750 hectares in the district. So that farmers' rice production is not hampered, the agriculture department is giving advice and playing a strong role in market monitoring."
"The administration will take a tougher stance than in other years. The agriculture department will stand by farmers. Not all the seedbeds in the district were damaged; seed was damaged in a few places. That will not cause a seed shortage," he said.
Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.
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