Chhatra League activists have cut ripe Boro paddy on about 70 decimals of land belonging to farmer Belal Amin of Dharmapur union in Noakhali Sadar upazila, bringing relief to a farmer who could not afford labourers.

On Wednesday morning (26 April), former Noakhali district Chhatra League vice-president Omar Faruk Swapan cut the paddy together with party activists.

Farmer Belal Amin said: "Because of economic problems, labourers' wages are higher this time, and fewer labourers are coming from outside, so there is a shortage. I was worried about getting the ripe paddy home because of the risk of storms and rain. The Chhatra League activists did me a great favour by cutting it. I am very happy with what they did."

He said that with the prices of fertiliser, seed, irrigation, pesticides and other farm inputs rising, he had had to take many instalment loans and borrow to grow paddy on the roughly 70 decimals. Hiring labourers to cut it had become almost impossible for him.

Chhatra League leader Omar Faruk Swapan said that, following the instructions of the Chhatra League central committee, activists were cutting ripe paddy and bringing it home for farmers in remote parts of the district where labour is short, helping farmers according to their needs. "Bangladesh Chhatra League has stood by the people in every disaster and hard time in the country. We will stand by ordinary people in future too, Inshallah," he said.

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