Boro farmers in Jhenaidah have started recovering from the loss caused by abnormal hot wave that swept over Jhenaidah like other districts of the country on April 4. It had affected a several thousand hectors of land. At least 40 per cent of the yield in those plots will be affected completely affecting the farmers badly.
However, the farmers have started recovering from the loss as advised by the officials of the department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah. It will save the crops from the sap of the havoc partially said, the farmers and DAE officials.
Boro farmer Belayet Hossian of Habibpur who was cultivating Boro on 87 decimals of land at Shastibar village in Shailkupa upazila when contacted, said the entire Boro plots were affected by the hot wave on April 4 last. He was at a loss witnessing the pitiable condition of his fate.
As he had contacted the upazila agriculture office, the authorities had advised him to spray bactericidal on the affected plots. They also advised him to store water until the flowering of the plots was completed. Applying the method he got satisfactory result as the paddy sheafs were growing almost normally. About 20 percent of the yield might be affected by the hot wave, Belayet Hossian said.
Some other farmers said Boro paddy on at least 400 bighas of land was affected by te hot wave on the same day while the farmers have been recovering from the loss day by day, said.
When this correspondent visited a nmber of villages in the upazila and talked to several Boro farmers, came to know that standing Boro on at least 100 hectares of land.
The department of agriculture extension (DAE) in Jhenaidah has been advising the affected farmers to ensure adequate water on the land and apply fie kilograms of muriate of potash (MoP) fertilizer to avoid further loss.
The farmers said at least five thousand hectares of land in Jhenaidah Sadar, Kaliganj, Kotchandpur, Moheshpur, Shailkupa and Harinakundu was affected when the hot wave swept over the district on April 4. But the damage was least in Shailkupa. Standing Boro leafs turned to whitish in colour and the grains inside the sheafs of paddy, were damaged badly. It had slapped the fates of the farmers, they said.
Sub assistant agriculture officer (AAO) of DAE in Shailkupa municipality block Mosleh Uddin Tuhin said the farmers in his block have been recovering the loss when they had applied bactericidal and stored water on the affected plots during the flowering stage. He said the plots did not contain water during the flowering, were affected badly.
Deputy Director (DD) of the DAE in Jhenaidah Asgar Ali when contacted said a total of 217 hectares of land was affected by the havoc in six upazilas of the district which was least in Shailkupa. But the farmers have been recovering from the loss day by day when the DAE staffs had advised them to follow their guidelines, Asgar Ali said.