Farmers in Mirsarai upazila of Chattogram had been worried about this season's aman crop because the rain did not come on time. Now that rain has fallen, even if late, about 10,000 farmers have overcome the setbacks and are busy transplanting aman, turning the fields green with seedlings. The target is nearly met, and the upazila agriculture office expects a good yield if the weather stays favourable.

Farmers began to smile when rain arrived from the middle of the Bengali month of Srabon, after Asar had passed without it. Before that, they had kept their aman seedbeds alive with irrigation, but without rain nobody could lift the seedlings and plant them out. Once the rain began, farmers planted their aman seedlings within 15 days.

Obaidul Haque, a farmer in South Wahedpur of Wahedpur union, said: "I was very worried about aman this year. There was no rain at all, and I did not know whether I would be able to plant seedlings. In the end, by Allah's mercy, the rain came and I finished planting all my land within 15 days. This year too I have grown aman on about one and a half acres."

Mosharraf Hossain, a farmer from Raipur in Durgapur union, said: "I prepared the seedbed with irrigation water, but without rain I could not plant out the seedlings. This time I will grow aman on about two acres. With the rain, planting is almost done. A little is left, and it will be finished in a day or two."

Kazi Mohammad Nurul Alam, sub-assistant agriculture officer in Mirsarai, said: "A target of 19,775 hectares of aman has been set for the upazila this season. Although it started a little late, most of the land has been cultivated in the last three weeks, apart from 5,500 hectares under aus. Transplanted aman will be planted on that land after the aus is harvested."

Upazila agriculture officer Pratap Chandra Roy said: "To overcome the natural setbacks and increase aman production, many farmers have been given free seed, chemical fertiliser and weed-control support. Many farmers have also been given farm inputs. If the weather holds, we can expect a good yield."

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