Cultivation of Aman paddy is facing setback in different flood affected areas under Rangpur division due to acute crisis of seedlings.
Although flood water has begun to recede from the croplands, a severe crisis of Aman saplings has been prevailing in the region, sources alleged.
Massive damage to transplanted Aman seedlings caused by recent flash flood is a severe blow to the farmers who had earlier suffered huge loss due to fungal disease called neck blast which caused massive havoc to paddy fields during Boro season.
With the hope to recoup the loss of Boro paddy many farmers transplanted Aman saplings this year but flood shattered their hopes, they alleged. Presently they are apprehensive about replanting it.
Though farmers of some areas received Aman saplings from the government but it was inadequate in comparison with the requirements, farmers alleged.
According to sources 3,33,000 hectares of Aman field have been damaged on account of flood water under the division in recent flood.
Farmers alleged that many farmers of the region would not be able to transplant Aman seedlings again on their land owing to dearth of saplings and shortage of time.
Many of them might have to cultivate Rabi crops on their lands instead of Aman paddy, they added.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) official sources said Aman paddy was cultivated on some 9,89,308 hectares of land this year in eight districts under the division-Rangpur, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh.
Around one-third of the cultivated Aman field has been inundated by flood water, sources also said.
Abul Kashem, a farmer of Soudpara village in Gangachara upazila told FE that he transplanted Aman seedlings on his two bighas of land this year with the hope to recoup the losses he incurred from Boro due to neck blast disease which caused less yield of the crop.
But due to flood, his crop field got perished and presently it seems to be impossible for him to replant Aman saplings owing to non-availability of saplings, he added.
He alleged that many farmers of his area could manage to collect inferior quality saplings for replanting Aman but were compelled to pay higher rate from some flood free villages under Mithapukur and Pirganj upazila of Rangpur, he added.
DAE official sources said necessary steps have been taken to help the affected farmers recover their losses.
Aman saplings were distributed among the affected farmers in many areas under the region.
Farmers were advised to cultivate alternative crops so that they could recoup the loss, sources added.
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