DOT Desk: The continuous cold wave accompanied by thick fog is damaging Boro paddy seedbeds in Ulipur Upazila of the district, reports The Daily Observer.
As a result, the farmers are apprehending scarcity of seedlings as those have become reddish and rotten. Following the advice of the local agriculture department, many farmers are covering the seedbeds with polythene.
Upazila Agriculture Office sources said this season’s target of making Boro paddy seedbed is on 1,395 hectares of land. Of those, the seedbed of Ufshi variety was prepared on 1,025 ha, hybrid on 355 ha, and local variety on 15 ha of land. With the saplings produced on the seedbeds, a total of 21,445 ha of land will be brought under Boro paddy farming, and the production target is 87,806 metric tons of paddy.
The last year’s cultivation target was 20,480 ha of land, and the production target was 83,929 MT.
Farmers Aminul Islam, Mozammel Haque, Badshsa Mia and Abdul Qader of Dhamshreni area of the upazila said the saplings have dried up due to the cold wave and thick fog.
Sharecroppers Abdul Hye and Altaf of Daldalia Union in the upazila said the saplings are being damaged due to the thick fog. The farmers said they sprayed fungicide to protect the saplings.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Saiful Islam said they are advising farmers to cover their seedbeds with polythene and apply required fertilisers and irrigate the lands.
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