Many farmers cultivating Boro paddy fear that it may be difficult to recoup their investment this season as severe power outages and high prices of diesel and fertilizers are largely disrupting cultivation across the country.
Farmers of different districts alleged that they get neither fertiliser nor diesel at fair prices although the government had pledged to ensure smooth supply of farm inputs at low prices.
They alleged that many dealers appointed by the government sell the subsidised fuel and fertiliser to a section of traders who then sell those to farmers at higher prices, correspondents of daily sun reported.
The farmers said a section of government officials is also involved with this illegal business which made cultivation difficult.
“Cultivation is being hampered this season because of higher prices of diesel and fertilisers. Besides, power-cuts remain persistent too,” said Rafiqul Islam, a farmer of Pahirpur in Sunamganj district.
The farmers of the northern districts, a major rice-producing region, said they were suffering from severe power crisis and higher prices of diesel and fertilisers.
The Power Development Board supplies around 1,000 megawatts of electricity in the region although the utility agency had earlier promised to supply 1365 megawatts against the demand of 1,600 megawatts of electricity.
Some poor farmers, who cannot afford diesel, gave up on irrigation and let the prepared fields dry up thanks to power crisis.
In Dinajpur region, 90 percent of boro seedlings have already been transplanted. Farmers of the district alleged that they get electricity for eight to 10 hours a day which greatly disrupted irrigation.
Abul Kalam Azad, executive engineer of Dinajpur Power Development Board, admitted their failure to ensure adequate power supply and said they can supply only 46 megawatts of power in the peak hours and 47 megawatts in the off-peak hours against the demands of 105MW and 85 MW respectively.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Dinajpur, said 2,583 deep tube-wells and 79,578 shallow tube-wells were installed at different paddy fields to ensure proper irrigation in the district.
Main problems that the farmers of the area are now facing include prices of diesel and fertiliser. A litre of diesel is being sold at Tk 47-52 in different areas while it is available at Tk 44.25 in Sadar upazila.
Selim Reza, a frustrated farmer of Sadar upazila, said he had to prepare the same seedbed twice as dense fog destroyed the field in the first time. He is still tensed as inadequate irrigation may put the seedbed at risk again.
Same problems exist in many other districts including Natore where almost 95 percent boro seedlings were transplanted.
Mohammad Delwar Hossain, deputy general manager of DAE, Natore, said they set a target to cultivate boro on 70,235 hectares of land in the district this season.
Uzzal, a farmer of Bajitpur Village of Baraigram Upazila who cultivated paddy on four bighas of land, said they are facing problem with shallow tube-wells to pump up sufficient water as groundwater level keeps sinking.
“In this situation, many farmers decided to buy costly electric pumps for irrigation but inadequate power supply put their investment at stake,” said Uzzal.
Many farmers said they are losing interest in cultivating paddy because of escalating input costs.
Rezaul Karim, general manager of Palli Bidyut Samity-1 of Natore, said they have nothing to do with the power crisis since they do not get enough electricity from the grid.
“We get only 15 megawatts of electricity against the demand of 38 megawatts at daytime and 38 megawatts against the demand of 40 megawatts at night,” Karim added.
In Rajshahi district, farmers are losing interests in boro cultivation. This year, boro was cultivated on only 79,700 hectares of land. Farmers in the district alleged that they get electricity only three to four hours at daytime.
Contacted by daily sun, DAE Director General Habibur Rahman denied the allegations and said the price of all types of fertilisers decreased during the boro season.
He claimed that they ensured smooth supply of fertiliser and diesel in all areas of the country. “We expect greater yields of boro this year,” he added.
The DAE expects cultivation of Boro paddy on 4.75 million hectares of land in the country, up from 4.73 million hectares of land last year.
The government set a target of to produce 1.91 crore tones of boro rice this year.
News Source: The Daily Sun