Intense cold and dense fog have kept the sun hidden in Lalmonirhat for several days, and late blight, known locally as nabi dhosa, has appeared in potato fields. Farmers are worried about yields. After several days of biting cold and thick fog, leaves are curling and dying, and farmers have been spraying their fields.

On the ground, most people in the Teesta char areas depend on early potato cultivation. But for the past 10 days dense fog has brought disease to the leaves: they turn white and the plants slowly droop. As the fungal disease spreads, farmers fear for their yields. Regular spraying is pushing up costs as they fight the fog to protect their fields. Because of this, the potato production target may be hard to reach this year. Farmers claim no medicine is working and plants are dying.

The Lalmonirhat agriculture department said the district's potato target this year is 6,500 hectares, of which only 2,200 hectares have been planted.

Abdus Sobhan of the Teesta char said: "Every year we grow early potatoes on the Teesta char. This time too I planted several acres. After several days of cold and fog, the fields are in a very bad state. Plants are dying here and there. Spraying is costing a lot of money."

Mamun, a potato grower in Baura of Patgram upazila, said: "I grew potatoes on 4 bighas. Because of the fog, plants are dying. Spraying is not working. If the dense fog continues like this, we will face losses."

Hatibandha upazila agriculture officer Mizanur Rahman said: "Cold and fog are increasing day by day, and late blight has appeared in potato fields. Sub-assistant agriculture officers in the field are advising farmers to spray to control the fungus. So far the disease is under our control."

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