MYMENSINGH. June 4 ; Harvesting of IRKI Bon? paddy is going on in full swing, jo allx the thanas here.

Now. harvesting, crushing and husking of paddy are common scenes in the homesteads of farmers.

Ali Ashgar, a farmer of village Char Gobindapur in sadar thana informed this corre-/spondent that on average five / maunds of paddy had been harvested in each ’katha'.

Anwar Hossain, another farmer of village Char Anandipur told this correspondent that though there was no rain since November last year yet the recent downpour accom-panied by 'Kalbaishakhi' had •caused loss to them. Paddy •plants on the low-lying areas have fallen to the ground.

Due to high price of day labourers, the harvesting cost has gone up causing another blow to us. said some farmers of village Pirlsuta in Phulpur thana. Now the newly harvested paddy is being sold between Taka 225 to 250 which is not reasonable against their production cost, they lamented.

When contacted by this correspondent, an official of Agriculture Extension Department (AED) told, they are expecting exceeded production as more arable lands were brought un-

der IRRI-Boro cultivation this season than tlie fixed target. He.. also^ild that a total of 12,8'.7*76 hedtaffes of land were brought under RRI-Boro cultivation with a production target of 3.15.924 metric tons of paddy. The official claimed, 40.386 hectares more lands wefe brought under IRRI-Boro cultivation. This will add more production to the total yield. This is because the farmers got adequate supply of seeds and other materials required for the farming.

Though drought incurred losses to the farmers, but cultivation on extra lands will bring bumper production, the official added.