The flash flood caused by the recent incessant rainfall inundated and damaged nearly ripened Boro paddy of farmers in huge areas of the Chalanbeel under Gurudaspur and Tarash Upazilas of Natore district. Shortages of the farm hands and the problem of storage of crops have intensified the sufferings of the farmers further.
Eye witness sources informed the water level of the Chalanbeel areas was increasing gradually. Specially, the farmers who transplanted Boro paddy after harvesting Mustard in their fields were incurring a heavy loss. Most of the nearly ripened paddy of their fields in the Beel areas have been inundated. Some farmers were reaping those half-ripened paddy from under water but due to shortages of farm labourers and transportation problem, they were failing to bring home their harvest to their houses.
Local farmer Feroz Sarder informed, after reaping Mustard, he had transplanted Boro paddy on 10 bighas of land this year. The plants grew nice and the paddy was nearly ripening when the flash flood hit the Beel areas in advance. Feroz was worried, if he failed to reap all his paddy from the beel, all those would be inundated under the water. There was an acute shortage of farm labourers and some of them were charging an exorbitant wage. Even, they did not agree to work even for a half of the total reaped paddy.
Harunur Rashid, Upazila Agriculture Officer of Gurudaspur Upazila informed, nearly 30 per cent of the lands under the Chalanbeel area are cultivated with the late variety of Boro Paddy after the harvesting of Mustard. This paddy is often profitable but also involved risk. The farmers would suffer a huge loss if they fail to harvest home their paddy before the increase of water of the beel. He further said, employing the farmhands was urgently needed for the farmers in the beel areas. The late will increase their loss further.
It is learnt, most of the farmhands of the Chalanbeel areas who worked to reap paddy and carry those homes during the season of cutting paddy, were now working in other professions like plucking of mangoes and selling those in the local markets. As a result, there was an acute shortages of labourers in the areas. Even, those were interested in reaping paddy were charging an exorbitant salary which the farmers were failing to pay.
Zahurul Haque Sarder, Lecturer of Beelchalan Shahid Shamsuzzoha Government College and and farm owner informed, the cultivation of the late variety of Boro Paddy after the harvesting of Mustard was a profit oriented cultivation process but it also involved risks. The paddy might face disaster in natural calamities. Moreover, their having no transportation and storage system, the farmers were carrying their harvested paddy homes on boats which was time-consuming and laborious. Local farmers and local people of Chalanbeel demanded an immediate intervention of the government to resolve the crisis.
They said, managing a temporary employment to remove laborer shortages, distributing of mechanised paddy reaping machines among farmers and paying a special financial incentive for the affected farmers should be ensured by the government. Otherwise, the farmers of the Chalanbeel areas will incur a huge loss.
