The persistent cold temperatures and regular dense fog that have marked this winter in Thakurgaon, have the district's farmers of Boro paddy worried. Many seedlings are whitish or yellowish, indicating the plants have been damaged or lost. In several areas farmers have had to purchase replacement seedlings, a situation that has led to soaring seedling prices, which will increase the overall cost of producing the next Boro harvest.
“At first I sowed the BR-29 variety of Boro paddy seeds on sixteen decimals at a cost of Tk 3,000 for the seeds,” says farmer Arabindo Roy, 38, from Dangipra village in Thakurgaon Sadar upazila. “Half the crop was damaged by the cold. Now I have a seedling crisis and need to buy more from elsewhere, at a high price. The cost of cultivation will be more this Boro season.”Department of Agriculture Extension officials report that Boro seedlings on a few hectares have been damaged by the adverse weather; but that these will recover with more sunlight and overall cultivation will not be unduly affected.
“Farmers are advised to water the seedbeds at night and drain them off in the morning; to cover the seedlings with polythene and use sufficient fertiliser,” says the department's deputy director in Thakurgaon, Md Maududul Islam. “If farmers do this, and they can also spray Thiovit if required, their paddy seedbeds can be saved from the cold.”
“Once the weather improves, farmers can apply a 280-gram urea and 100-gram potash per decimal top dressing to affected seedbeds, to help restore normal growth,” he adds. But Arabindo's experience has not been good. “Even after applying preventative measures I failed to save the seedlings,” he says. He is not alone.
“I sprayed medicines. I covered seedlings in polythene but failed to succeed in protecting them,” says another farmer, Kamala Kanta Roy, from the same village. “Now there is no time left to sow seeds to raise new seedlings on my own land. My only choice is to buy seedlings.” Indeed, many farmers across the district are facing a similar predicament.
The Department of Agriculture Extension estimates 60,310 hectares will be cultivated with paddy this Irri-Boro season in Thakurgaon, to realise a production target of just over 2.47 lakh tonnes of grain.
The optimal period for cultivation is usually January to mid-March, but this year the month of January has been effectively lost due to the unusually harsh winter. In such circumstances, it remains to be seen if the department's targets for the district's paddy production will be achieved.
