Shrimp farming and salinity
Photo: Liton Rahman / Driknews
Hossain's important front page report published in your daily on May 26th is a subject, which I believe a very few know about; more so the ignorant farmers, who made their farmland into saline ponds for shrimp breeding and farming. The recent storm and heavy waves destroyed the fish farms, and all the shrimps were lost to the tidal wave. As an option, the farmers went back to growing paddy and other food crops; little knowing that their soil is now saturated in saline, and no green crops can be grown! In this case not only have they lost the shrimps; which were financially rewarding; but now no cash crops can be grown, which before farming of shrimps in saline water, used to provide cash crop! Not only they, but possibly the agricultural officials were unaware of this. Otherwise they would have stopped the farmers in wasting money, scarce resources and their labor in trying to plant farm food crops in the saline contaminated soil! Agriculture Department should now take necessary steps, so that all farmers become aware of this problem of soil salinity; so that the farmers know the pros and cons; before opting for fish farming in their farmland.
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