Chhatra League activists have harvested paddy and brought it home for five poor farmers in Singra upazila of Natore. From morning to midday on Friday 28 April they cut Boro paddy on four bighas of land belonging to farmers in the Chaksingra, Sholakura and Sohagbari areas of the municipality. About 150 activists took part, led by upazila Chhatra League president Sajib Islam Juwel.

Central Chhatra League president Saddam Hossain and general secretary Sheikh Wali Asif Inan had called on activists, the young generation, students and youth to cut farmers' paddy and bring it home during the current Boro season. Answering that call, Singra upazila Chhatra League began a programme to harvest ripe paddy for poor farmers.

Marfat Ali, a farmer in Chaksingra, said he had grown Boro paddy on one bigha but could not harvest it because of a labour shortage. The Chhatra League activists cut it free of charge, and he is grateful to them.

Another farmer, Shukuran, said the paddy on her 16 decimals of land had ripened several days earlier, but she could not bring it in for lack of labour and feared the crop would be ruined in the field. Hearing of her difficulty, the activists came forward and cut it without payment.

Sajib Islam Juwel said the upazila Chhatra League had taken up the programme inspired by Junaid Ahmed Palak, state minister for information and communication technology, and on the instructions of the Chhatra League president and general secretary. On the first day they cut, threshed and brought home paddy from four bighas belonging to five poor farmers.

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