Boro harvesting going on in full swing in Netrakona

Boro paddy harvesting in this district, which is popularly known as the ‘grain bowl’ of the country, is going on in full swing for the last two weeks.

Agriculture experts of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) Netrakona office and Boro cultivators said they are expecting bumper production of the Boro rice this season after seeing the better output rate of the crop.

This BSS correspondent while visiting different areas of the district saw that the cultivators were passing their busy times in their Boro fields to harvest the golden-coloured ripened Boro paddy in a festive mood.

DAE Netrakona office sources said, meanwhile, about 35 per cent of the ripened Boro paddy has been harvested in the dis-trict while harvesting of 85 per cent Boro paddy of the haor areas under the district has been completed by the farmers till today.

During the current Boro season, a target was designed for cultivating Boro paddy on 1,84,470 hectares of land with a plan to produce 7,76,775 tonnes of Boro rice.

However, Boro was cultivated on a total of 1,84,735 hectares of land, exceeding this year’s target.

Deputy Director of the DAE Netrakona Mohammad Nuruzzaman told BSS that, farmers could exceed the Boro paddy culti-vation target this season as the weather condition was favourable and different state-run agencies including BADC, BCIC and PDB ensured proper supply of high-quality seeds, seedlings, fertilisers, uninterrupted electricity supply and irrigation machinery and agricultural inputs at the door-steps of the farmers following directives of the government.

Replying to a number of questions, he said, 85 per cent of ripened Boro paddy of the haor areas under the district have al-ready been harvested by the farmers.

“Farmers are using 760 combined harvester machines and 33 paddy ripper machines for harvesting their Boro paddy in ten upazilas of the district”, he said adding that more than 39,425 day labourers are working in the Boro fields of the district.

The deputy director said, over 7.76 lakhs tonnes of Boro rice are expected to be produced in the district if the weather con-dition will remain favourable till the end of the harvesting period.