Crisis of Boro seeds in Moulvibazar
Short supply of Boro seeds in Moulvibazar may affect cultivation of the main rice crop in the district.
Farmers said they wanted to recoup losses from loss of Aus and Aman crop by Boro but are facing crisis of seeds.
Sources in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said the demand of enlisted farmers for seeds will be met from the preserved stock of seeds. They said they got 453 metric tons of seed against the total demand of 1,200 metric tons. Farmers will get more 90 metric tons of seeds for free, they said.
However, farmers said a major portion of the preserved seeds has been damaged by flood.
Farmers alleged each of them got from the BADC sales centres only 20 kilogram (KG) of seeds against demand for 100 kg to 120 kg seeds.
This correspondent saw farmers coming from fur flung areas returned homes empty handed after waiting for a long time in a long queue in front of several BADC sales centres.
Luxman Debnath, a farmer at Antehori village in Sadar upazila said he was able to purchase only 20 kg seed from such a sales centre on Shamsernagar road here while his requirement was 120 KG seed for his 24 'Kiar' (One 'Kiar' is equivalent to 30 decimals of land) land.
Masuk Miah, another cultivator at Kamarchak village said he got only 20 KG seeds from a sales centre against requirement for 40 KG seeds for 10 'Kiar' of land.
During a visit to Juri upazila, this correspondent saw farmers returning empty handed after waiting for long in a long queue in front of the seeds centres.
Farmers Habibur Rahman of Baradhamai village, Dulal Uddin of Patila-Sangon village and Goura Pada Das of Jayfarnagar village said they are not getting BRI-28 and BRI-29 variety of seeds according to their needs.
Local DAE officials and seed dealers also admitted to the fact of seed crisis.
Under the post-flood agriculture rehabilitation programme 581 tonnes of Boro seed have been allocated for farmers in Sylhet, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj and Habiganj, said Subhas Chandra Ghosh, deputy director (DD) of Sylhet BADC seed wing. He said they had supplied all the seeds from their stock.
On contact, Moulvibazar DAE deputy director Laxmi Kanta Pondit said there is no crisis of boro seed in the district. Farmers will get seeds according to their needs, he said.
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