20,000 hectares uncultivated in Sirajganj for poor rain

24 October 2009, 17:00 PM

Golam Mostafa Jibon, Sirajganj

About 20,000 hectares of farmland in nine upazilas of Sirajganj including the greater Chalan Beel area have remained uncultivated this year because of poor rainfall. Sources at the District Agriculture Extension Department (AED) said around 58,000 hectares of land were fixed for aman paddy cultivation this season but the farmers could not prepare their land for cultivation due to unfavourable weather. They said crisis of aman seedlings is also a major cause of hampering paddy cultivation in the district. The AED office and farmers sources said most of the farmers in the district failed to produce seedlings on their land because of drought. "If we could buy water from pumps, we could cultivate our lands. As we could not do it, our land has remained uncultivated," said Korban Ali, a farmer of Chalan Beel region in Tarash upazila. Korban further said he is now thinking of cultivating mustard on his four bighas of land, which remained uncultivated. Kusha Mandal, another farmer of Alokdiar village, said his eight bighas of land remained uncultivated, as he could not prepare that land for inadequate rainfall. The uncultivated land has now become pastureland, he said. While visiting different areas including the greater Chalan Beel in the last few days, it was found that hectares of uncultivated wetland turned into pastureland this season. Rejaul Karim, deputy director of AED, told The Daily Star that they are now encouraging farmers in cultivating winter crops including mustard and vegetables to overcome their losses.