Neck blast has broken out in paddy fields across Kaliganj upazila of Jhenaidah, drying out the panicles. The disease appeared in these fields within a few days. It has struck BRRI dhan63 most, and some fields of BRRI dhan28 have also been affected.

Many farmers grew the crop with loans and borrowed money, and they are now at a loss as their paddy is ruined. In this Iri (boro) season, paddy has been grown on 15,715 hectares in the upazila, including 3,400 hectares of BRRI dhan63. Officials advise spraying Trooper, a tricyclazole-group fungicide, if the disease appears.

In the fields of Khamarmundia village in Raygram union, paddy on 1 bigha of Tarikul Islam's, 1 bigha of Dolil Uddin's and 2 bighas of Momin Uddin's land, among others, is suddenly drying out. Likewise, in the Raygram fields, paddy on 8 decimals of Tapan Kumar Mondal's land and one acre of Paritosh Ghosh's is drying up. In Monoharpur village of Shimla-Roknpur union, Monjer Ali's 2 bighas of paddy are drying out.

Dolil Uddin of Khamarmundia said: "This Iri season I grew paddy on 2 bighas, one of them BRRI dhan63. A few days ago I saw some panicles turning white. On the advice of a local pesticide and fertiliser dealer I sprayed medicine, but it did no good. Within a few days all the paddy in the field turned white. Not a single grain will come from that field now. I don't know the area's agriculture officer. I have never seen him come to the field."

Ralon Hossain, a farmer in the same field, said: "The paddy on my one bigha suddenly rotted at the panicle and was ruined." Monjer Ali of Monoharpur said: "This year I grew 28 and 63 paddy on two bighas. Suddenly the panicles are rotting and being ruined. More than half the paddy is gone. I don't know what to do now. The agriculture officers don't check on us either."

Imdad Hossain, a farmer of Megurukhadda village, said: "Next to my land, a farmer named Tapan Kumar Mondal grew 28 paddy on 8 decimals. Over the past few days all the paddy in that field turned red and was ruined."

Zakaria Raihan, the sub-assistant agriculture officer in charge of Raygram union, said: "I am in a meeting now. This is happening to the paddy because of the excessive heat. I will look into it tomorrow."

Kaliganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Md Mahbub Alam Roni said: "No farmer has informed us yet. It may be due to the heat, or the paddy may rot and dry out because of a fungus." He advised spraying Trooper of the tricyclazole group if the rot appears. Asked whether officials were in regular contact with farmers, he said: "Look, there are many farmers. It is natural not to meet some of them."

Md Azgar Ali, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah, said: "I am not aware of this. No farmer has complained to us yet. Please tell me which area this happened in, and I will inform the officers there."

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