Sunamganj is a district of haors and baors. If farming families here can bring home their single Boro crop, the year passes without worry. As in other years, farmers were anxious this time about getting the haor paddy home. But with favourable weather, Sunamganj has had a bumper Boro harvest this season, bringing smiles to farmers' faces.

Some 10 lakh farmers grow Boro paddy in the district's 137 haors. They began partial harvesting from the first day of Baishakh. On 19 April Agriculture Minister Abdus Shahid visited the Sunamganj haors and joined farmers at a harvest festival, after which harvesting began in full swing across Sunamganj.

In various haors, harvesting is going on without a break. Some farmers are carting paddy from the haor, some are threshing, and others are drying the grain in the blazing sun.

In other years Sunamganj usually gets rain at this time. With the weather good this year, farmers can cut and bring home their golden paddy with peace of mind.

Farmer Abdul Awal told Jago News the yield is better than in other years. "The government has raised the price of paddy. I hope we can make a little profit this year," he said.

Majnu Mia, a farmer in Korchar Haor, told Jago News: "After keeping enough of this year's haor paddy to eat, I will be able to sell about 50 maunds. I am really very happy."

Farm woman Tajbala Begum told Jago News the yield is good this year. She hopes to get about 75 maunds of paddy from five kear of land. "We will know how much after drying and weighing it. I am happy with this year's yield," she said.

According to the district Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Boro was grown on 2,23,407 hectares in the district this year. The production target is 13,70,202 tonnes, which will yield 9,13,468 tonnes of rice with a market value of Tk 4,110 crore.

Bimal Kumar Som, deputy director of DAE Sunamganj, told Jago News that with the weather favourable, the paddy production target will be met this year. Some 60 per cent of the district's paddy has already been harvested, he said.

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