Tuesday, May 07, 2024
The agricultural landscape of Sylhet, the northeastern region of Bangladesh, is marred by the paradox of abundant arable land lying fallow while many farmers here are struggling to grow crops due to an acute crisis of irrigation water.
Hectares of land remain untouched on approximately 49 kilometres of area from Sylhet town to Tamabil border despite the busy Boro season when the country’s farmers get involved in rice cultivation.
Abdul Alim, a farmer who hails from Haripur, says that vast tracts of lands are lying fallow here for several factors. A large number of people who have migrated to other countries leave their lands uncultivated. In addition, lack of irrigation facilities and low crop yields discourage locals from pursuing career in agriculture.
Alim acknowledges the cultivation of Aman in the high-lying areas during the monsoon and Boro rice in low-lying areas during the dry season.
The government has, however, urged the farmers to utilise all available lands. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's repeated calls for cultivating fallow lands haven't yielded significant results in Sylhet.
Sylhet leads in wastage of land
Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) in its 2023 report has painted a grim picture. Sylhet leads the nation in wasted arable land. Each district under the division struggles with significant fallow lands. The report also states that Bangladesh has a total cultivable area of 36,465,000 acres, but only 2.81 crore acres are brought under cultivation. A staggering 6.71 lakh acres of land remain uncultivated.
At least 1.6 lakh acres of land remain fallow in Bandarban, followed by Sunamganj 46,000 acres, Faridpur 43,000 acres, Sylhet 39,000 acres, Netrakona 32,000 acres, Moulvibazar 31,000 acres, Chattogram 29,000 acres, Tangail 23,000 acres, Habiganj 21,000 acres and Kishoreganj 21,000 acres.
Sunamganj alone has a staggering 46 thousand acres of fallow land out of its total 9.26 lakh acres. Sylhet, with a total land area of 8.53 lakh acres, has 39,000 acres lying fallow.
Khayer Uddin Mollah, Deputy Director of Agriculture Extension Department Sylhet, has cited the reasons behind underutilisation of lands such as lack of irrigation, land ownership by expatriates, reduced agricultural profitability and younger generation's preference for overseas employment.
Mollah emphasises that most expatriate-owned lands remain uncultivated due to their fear of encroachment and reluctance to lease them for farming. However, he believes that increased access to irrigation would significantly boost cultivation.
Why acute irrigation crisis in Sylhet
During visit to Sylhet, Moulvibazar, and Habiganj districts from February 16 to February 19, this correspondent found that fallow lands are concentrated in high-lying areas during the Boro season. Farmers prioritise cultivating lands with easy water access near rivers and wetlands. This highlights the crucial role of irrigation facilities in maximising land usage. Despite efforts by the private and government to install deep tube-wells for irrigation in the country, Sylhet lacks such facilities.
Our correspondent from Sylhet says that the lack of deep tube-wells is a major hurdle for local farmers compared to other regions. Additionally, unplanned development projects like dams and embankments upstream contribute to the decline of surface water sources like canals and rivers, further restricting irrigation options.
Farmers need to get ‘free water’
The government has taken initiative to provide agricultural inputs to the farmers. However, the entire Sylhet division lags behind. Additional Deputy Director of DAE Sylhet Debal Sarker emphasises the need for ‘free water’ for farmers to increase cultivation in the whole region.
He said the government has taken initiatives to provide fertilisers, seeds, and oilseeds to ease farmers' burden. However, ensuring water access remains a critical step. Plans include supplying irrigation machinery, installing deep tube-wells, and offering free water initially to incentivise cultivation which helps food security.
Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC) is tackling the irrigation issue. It proposed taking up of a detailed project for irrigation development and expansion in the Sylhet region, expected to be approved within next few months.
BADC Chairman Abdullah Sazzad focuses on surface water irrigation using rivers, canals, and wetlands, considering the limitations of groundwater resources in Sylhet. He has expressed the hope that the project will start by this year.
The arable land in the country is decreasing every day due to unplanned urbanisation, infrastructure development and industrialisation. Agricultural land is decreasing at the rate of 1 per cent every year, said BBS last year.
BBS also says that the Sylhet's potential for increased agricultural output hinges on overcoming the challenges of land ownership, irrigation infrastructure, and economic incentives for farmers.
Concerted efforts by the government, local authorities and the farmers themselves are needed to tap the full potential of Sylhet's fertile lands, it added.
