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Drought, pest attack damaging Aman crop in N-dists
GAIBANDIIA. Sept 15 . Untimely drought has affected the Aman cultivation In 16 northern districts during this current season. Aman cultivation target wm fixed at 14 lakh 4 thousand 62 acres of land
As n result, farmers could not reach the target of Aman farming. Many of them although started Iransplanta tton seedlings using deep tube wells but the land surface has become dried up for want of adequate rainfall.
On the other hand. Jute farmers have been facing Iron ble In processing Ihc Jute fibre for want of water as most of Ihc pools and water bodies went dry due to drought' Being failure to process the raw jute in many places, farmers con verted ihc Jute sblk into fuel. Moreover, the farmers arc hard hit by the low price of Jute In the local market.
Shortage of farm labourer has also created trouble In the c ultivation as drought compelled most of the farm labourer to change the profes ston. Many of them have arrived In different towns for scare h of work and engaged as rickshaw pulling.
If the drought Is continued, the farmers of northern districts will suffer a loss of nearly three hundred crore Taka
crops
Our Kurigram Correspondent adds : The largcscalc pest attack on aman crops has been reported from the rural areas of the district.
Crops on about 5.000 acres of land have already been damaged by the pcs^s locally
known ns pamri and mnzra poka
The worst affected thanas arc : Nageswnri, Bhurungamart, Chflmari, Rowmari, Rajlbpur. Rajarhat and Fulbarl.
Farmers said pesticides available In the local mArket are of low quality and adulterated. Poor farmers are forced to buy these insecticides and Its spray on crop fields yields nothing.
The affected farmers of the locality urged, the authorities to take immediate steps to combat the growing menace.
A report from Nclrokona adds: Transplanted aman cultivation 1n the district is being seriously hamperetf for want of rain.
All the 10 thanas have been affected by the current drought, local formers said
The district Agriculture Ex tension Department said they had taken up a massive pro gramme to bring 2.40 lakh acres of land under trans planted aman cultivation dur tng the current season.
But It Is apprehended If 50 per cent of the target would be achieved due to persisting drought