Aman seedling planting is in full swing in Moulvibazar. As soon as the aus rice is harvested, the land is prepared for aman, and native fish are surfacing in these fields. Local people are catching them as the land is ploughed.

Farmers said the fields are ploughed by machine for aman after the aus harvest, and various species of native fish come to the surface. Local people crowd behind the tillers to catch them, and farmers also catch fish for their own meals.

Chhomir Mia, a farmer in Kamalganj, said there had been more rain this year, so there were comparatively more fish in the fields, especially native species. Many people also go in just for the fun of fishing. Fish are most plentiful in the fields being ploughed for aman seedlings after the aus harvest, he said.

According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), aus was grown on 38,530 hectares in the district this year. Most of it has been harvested, and aman seedlings are now being planted. This season's aman target is about 1 lakh hectares, and the agriculture department hopes to meet it in full.

Farmer Moynul Islam said a field beside his house was being ploughed by machine for aman planting when he saw several people catching fish behind the machine. "Shing, magur, puti, koi and taki are being caught in particular. Then I went in to fish too, and caught about 2 kg," he said.

Farmer Mizan Mia said large numbers of native fish appeared when his aus field was being ploughed, and many people then caught fish from it. "Because the rice was in the field for a long time, no one could catch fish there. Now I will plant aman, so fish are being caught while it is ploughed," he said.

District Fisheries Officer Dr Md Arif Hossain said: "At one time plenty of native fish were found in this region. Over time, many native species have disappeared. At this time of year, fish used to swim about in the canals and beels. Protecting native fish is the responsibility of all of us."

Md Jalal Uddin, deputy director of the DAE in Moulvibazar, said: "Land is being prepared for aman planting after the aus harvest, although most of the aman seedlings have already been planted. The aus yield has been very good."

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