Paddy farmers of Chatmohar area as of now are fearing the upcoming damages to the vast paddy fields in the area. As water level in several beels are decreasing in rapid rate, more than 11, 000 hectors of Bona Aman paddy field will face water crisis soon. Thus farmers are afraid that all their hard works will go to vain as Bona Aman paddy cannot survive without water.
Farmers in the area said that this paddy trees are usually 10-12 feet long to combat the water level in monsoon season. The height of this paddy variant increases along with the water level. As most of the flood water already drained out from the beels naturally, most of the paddy plants are quickly drying up.
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According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, Aman paddy was cultivated in 11,020 hectares of land in Chatmohar this season. When the Aman paddy of 890 hectares of land was about to be destroyed due to lack of rainfall at the beginning of the monsoon season, the farmers cut down the raw paddy plants and used it as fodder for cattle. About 1000 hectares of paddy land has been damaged so far due to rapid depletion of rain water.
Ratan Hossain, a farmer from Bardanagar village in the upazila, said he has cultivated aman paddy on five bighas of land this year. Land cultivation, seeds, fertilizers and weeding have already cost Tk 4,000 per bigha. It will cost another Tk two thousand per bigha to cut the paddy and bring it home.
In all, it is costing Tk six thousand per bigha. The land has dried up before the sheaf of paddy came out. If it rains occasionally, the farmers of this area can get an average yield of four to five mounds per bigha. Aman can be found in the mass season at a price of four thousand rupees. Aman farmers in at least 30 villages in the area will lose Tk 2,000 per bigha.
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He further said that due to uncontrolled water management in the area, in some years the young paddy seedlings get damaged by drowning at the beginning of the monsoon and in some years the paddy plants dry up and die at the beginning of Ashwin month. Year after year, the farmers of this area have been cultivating Aman paddy at their own risk.
Chatmohar Upazila Agriculture Officer AA Masum Billah said that local varieties of Aman paddy including Dhaldigha, Ajaldigha, Jirashail and Kalboran are cultivated in these low lying areas of Chatmohar. Due to uncontrolled floods, farmers in the area are often affected. However, if it rains occasionally, the yield of paddy will be less.
