Harvesting of early aman rice has begun on the chars of Kaunia in Rangpur. On Dhusmara char, known locally as the delta, farmers are cutting ripe paddy field after field, with four harvesters at work. With labour short and wages rising, farmers are turning to machines that reap, thresh and collect in one pass, saving both time and money.
Across six unions and one municipality of the upazila, aman was planted on 11,460 hectares this season against a target of 11,470, with a production target of 37,355 tonnes.
Kobbat Ali, a farmer on Dhusmara char, said early aman cutting began in early October and will continue all month, with the main aman harvest starting in mid-November. After two big floods he had feared for the crop, but the water receded quickly and there was no serious disease, and he got 12 to 14 maunds from one don (25 decimals) of land.
Landowner Shahidul Islam Bhuttu expects a profit from the good yield but worries about getting a fair price. Farmer Tajul Islam said fertiliser, diesel, pesticide and labour all cost more, though the good harvest has cheered farmers. Many are planting chilli straight after the harvest, and some are preparing for early maize.
Upazila agriculture officer Md Salahuddin said that despite some early drought and two floods on the chars, the crop is in good shape and early aman yields have met expectations, so a bumper harvest is expected. After early aman, farmers grow maize, potato, chilli and winter vegetables, taking several crops from the same land.
Reported by Krishi Shomoy's Rangpur correspondent.
Photo: Sohelchy07 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Source: Krishi Shomoy
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