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Local variety paddy farming decreases

From Our Correspondent
KUR1GRAM, Jan 28: The cultivation of local varieties of paddy Is decreasing In different upazllas of Kurlgram district.
The farmers of the district previously grew different local varieties of paddy. These are Panisail, Binipakri, Khirshab hog, Kalljira, Dudkomor, Dhyapa. Uknimodhn, Satia, Po-raugi, Sada aus and Kalamanik on their land. These varieties grew abundantly. After the harvest of the varieties of paddy the fanners procure sufficient straws which were used as fodder. There was no scarcity of fodder. The health of the domestic animals was then better.
The farmers adequately cultivated Khesari. masur and other pulses and they never face the shortage of fresh grasses The cows eat them and give milk sufficiently. There was no problem of pure milk in the district. But with the introduction of IRRl-Boro in the recent years, the trad! di^p^Z^d°f P*Wy haW
According to a survey, the cultivation of local varieties of paddy have fallen to 50.000 acres from 1.75,000 acres.
Due to a sharp fall tn the cult! ration of local varieties of paddy many problems have been created The shortage of fodder is now endemic. The production cost of I RR! Boro is increasing day by day because the authority has been increasing the prices of agricultural Inputs since the liberation of the country without considering the financial condition of the agriculturists The prices of the agricultural inputs have gone beyond^the purchas-
Irriction mM needed-
Some farmers of Kurlgram Sadar Upazlla told me that to cal varieties of paddy could be cultivated without using fertilizer and Irrigational facilities. The production cost Is very low. They also said that the cultivation of IRRl-Boro was impossible without using fertilizer and irrigational facilities.
The per acre production cost of IRRl-Boro is now nearly Taka 40,000 Many farmers of the district have become unable to spend this money. Some of them have gone bankrupt.
Fodder scarcity-
Enough straws cannot be collected from IRRl-Boro For thia reason acute scarcity of fodder Is prevailing through out the district.
Other crops cannot be cul tlvatcd after harvesting IRRJ Boro. As a result, the cultivation of these varieties of paddy has become less profitable
Before the Introduction of IRRl-Boro the farmers could produce three crops in a year They did not think of fertiliser and irrigation and their economic condition was bet
IRRl-Boro is now cultivated on a major portion of the agri cultural land tn Kurlgram district but I he authorities have taken no steps to supply power pumps in order to minimise the production cost of the paddy.
The local varieties of paddy arc more nutritious than IRRl-Boro.
The ecological balance Is also being affected due to the fall In the underground waler level In many areas of the country, it is gathered.