Home ›› 05 Oct 2022 ›› Nation
Farmers are worried about betel leaf cultivation as rot disease is taking over the boroujes (a greenhouse made of bamboo and coconut leaves) in Dinajpur’s Hakimpur upazila.
Farmers complain that even applying medicine is not preventing the spread of the disease.
However, the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said they are giving advice regularly on preventing various diseases including rot.
Betel leaf farming is more profitable than other crops in the upazila’s Ghasuria and Madhabpara villages due to the silt soil of the area. There is more than 150 betel leaf boroujes in the two villages as the soil and weather of the area are suitable for betel leaf cultivation.
A betel leaf borouj owner Mostafizur Rahman of Madhavpara village, said apart from the bumper yield this season, the farmers are getting good prices for their harvest.
“However, there has been a spread of a contagious leaf rotting disease in the area. If rot appears on one plant of a borouj, it quickly spreads to all the other plants within a few days,” he said adding that, the farmers will face huge losses if the spread is not quelled soon.
He further said that his family has cultivated betel leaf for generations and they depended solely on the earnings from the borouj. Losing his harvest will be a huge blow to his family as they do not have any other way of income, Mostafizur added.
Ghasuria village betel leaf farmer Nazrul Islam said, betel leaf farming requires less rainfall so the yield has been good this year. “The rotting disease has spread to many boroujes already, which has led to a good amount of harvest wasted. Applying medicine has not stopped the spread so far so we are afraid of losing our harvest,” he said.
Borouj owner Saidur Rahman of Ghasuria village said the large betel leaves are being sold at Tk 120 per bira (bundle) in the market this season.
“My borouj is my sole source of income and I am happy about the harvest and price this year. However, I am worried about the rotting disease spreading to my borouj and rotting the plants,” he said.
Hakimpur Upazila Additional Agriculture Officer Mst Arejna Begum said, there are 156 betel leaf boroujes on 40 hectares of land in the Ghasuria and Madhabpara areas of Hakimpur upazila’s Khattamadobpara union.
“Lately a rotting disease has spread in some boroujes. We have advised the farmers to spray Autoskin, Mancer, and Oxyclobite fungicides to prevent the spread,” she said.
Hakimpur Upazila Agricultural Officer Dr Mumtaz Sultana said, “We are aware of the rotting disease spreading in the betel leaf boroujes in Ghasuria and Madhabpara villages of the upazila. We have advised the farmers to take preventive measures in this situation.”