Several days of moderate rain and bad weather in Sharsha, Jashore, have left farmers worried about hundreds of bighas of boro paddy in different areas. Ripe paddy cut and left in the fields is floating in water, and with it the farmers' hopes. The yield was good this year, but the weather and a labour shortage stopped them getting the crop home in time.

According to the upazila agriculture office, the target for paddy cultivation in Sharsha this season was set at 23,350 hectares. So far 60 per cent of the boro paddy has reached farmers' homes. Farmers are being helped and advised in various ways so that the rest can be brought in quickly.

In some areas harvesting began in the intense heat before Eid, but farmers left the paddy in the fields instead of taking it home. Soon after Eid, sudden storms and rain left the cut paddy floating. Many farmers' standing ripe plants have been flattened by the wind, making cutting, gathering, carrying and drying the crop difficult.

During a break in the rain some farmers were busy gathering their crop again, but many fields of ripe paddy are still standing because of the labour shortage. Storms and rain came in three rounds, on Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, leaving water standing in many fields.

Anwarul Islam, a farmer from Bahadurpur village in Sharsha, said: "I couldn't cut the paddy while fasting in the blazing sun, and at that time it wasn't fully ripe. I started harvesting two days after Eid. Before I could bring it home, the rain ruined everything. Now the cut paddy is floating in the field."

Abdul Jabbar of Amtala Gatipara village said: "I grew paddy on three bighas this year. I managed to bring home the paddy from one bigha. The paddy from the other two bighas was cut and left in the field and has gone under water in the rain. I have suffered a huge loss. I have four cows. If I can't bring the paddy home, my cows will starve for lack of straw."

Every year labourers from the southern region come to cut farmers' paddy, but this year there are fewer of them, and many farmers could not hire workers. Together with the bad weather, the labour shortage has left farmers struggling to harvest.

Sharsha Upazila Agriculture Officer Pratap Mondal said that although the weather had turned somewhat bad, two days of rain would not cause much of a problem for the paddy. Those who could not bring their paddy home before the rain might suffer some losses, however. He urged farmers to drain the water from the fields and collect and bring home their paddy as quickly as possible.

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