Gainja paddy, a boon for flood-affected farmers

The farmers of Sariakandi, Sonatola and Dhunat upazials under the district are cultivating gainja, a special kind of sweet smelling paddy, to recoup the loss caused by the recent floods.

Two times flood from late August to early September damaged T-aman paddy on 6,651 hectares and T-aman seedbeds on 136 hectares of land in the three upazilas and it caused a loss of Tk 63 crore, affecting over 60 thousand farmers, said sources of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).

So far farmers cultivated gainja paddy on 3,565 hectares of land while DAE targeted to bring 4,777 hectares of land under its cultivation that will continue till mid-October.

DAE sources said gainja paddy grows within 80-90 days in the chars of the Jamuna basin areas of Sonatola, Sariakandi and Dhunat upazilas and the yield is 8-10 maunds per bigha (33 decimal) of land.

Usually it does not require any irrigation or fertiliser to cultivate the paddy.

Dulal Mollah of Chargram and Nurul Islam of Hasnapara of Hatsherpur union and Eshar Ali of Bagber village under Sadar union of Sariakandi upazila said they hope to get good yield.

Salauddin Sardar, upazila agriculture officer of Sonatola, said the farmers cultivating gainja paddy are expected to recoup much of the loss of T-aman paddy caused by floods.