Ripening rice draws birds, along with the risk of insects and straying livestock. To guard against those last-minute losses, Nil Ratan Howlader, a farmer at Banshbunia in Amua union of Kathalia upazila, Jhalakathi, has covered the whole of his 33-decimal field of ripe paddy with netting, sides and top.
On Monday morning (26 October) the field was fenced with poles and netting stretched over the top, with the bottom sealed so cattle and goats cannot get in. Among the green fields around it, his crop is already golden.
Nil Ratan said this season was the first time he grew the early variety BRRI dhan87, and the yield is good. Fearing birds would ruin the ripe grain, he decided to net the field. 'If the crop is lost just before it comes home, all the work is wasted,' he said. 'So I covered the whole field, even though it cost a little extra.'
Farmers here usually use scarecrows or shiny ribbons to keep birds away; netting an entire field is new to the area, and every day farmers from nearby come to look at it.
Kathalia upazila agriculture officer Fatema Islam said losses to birds and animals are common as rice ripens, and netting used properly gives good protection. Other farmers could follow the method where conditions and need allow, she said.
Reported by Barta24's district correspondent in Jhalakathi.
Photo: A ripe paddy field (illustrative), SyedAminul / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Barta24
Comments
(0)