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Thunderbolt fear hampers Boro harvesting

Day labourers reluctant to go for harvesting in Nilphamari

Our Correspondent, Nilphamari
Farmers in the district are passing their days in anxiety as excessive rain, storms and lightning are damaging and killing the ripe Boro paddy in the harvesting season that started one month ago.
Moreover, day labourers are reluctant to go to the Boro fields for harvesting as they are afraid of being struck by lightning, which has killed several people in the open fields.
Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer of the district Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Sanarul Islam said the district had
200 mm of rainfall accompanied by hailstorm and lightning in May, severely affecting agriculture.
"Due to continuous natural calamities and unavailability of day labourers, only 60% of the paddy has been harvested so far, though it is supposed to be 80% by this time," he added.
Storm and hail caused damage to Boro paddy on 12,036 hectares of land out of a total of 84,360 hectares cultivated in the district, and threat of further damage is still there, Sanarul said.
"My house yard is supposed to be filled with paddy at this time,
but it has not happened this year as I cannot harvest the paddy due to scarcity of day labourers, who are unwilling to go to the fields for fear of lightning," said farmer Hamidar Rahman of Jigabari village in Dimla upazila.
“Misfortune never stops haunting us as neck blast disease caused much harm at the fag end of the cultivation season. Now delay in harvesting is ruining the crop," lamented farmer Pran Roy of Ramnagar village in Sadar upazila.
"We do not want to harvest paddy in the rain as thunderbolts usually strike open fields, causing
deaths, although farmers offer high pay," said Solaiman Ali, a day labourer of Khalisha village in Saidpur upazila.
According to newspaper reports and information revealed by the district health department, 10 people, mostly day labourers, were killed by lightning during this Boro season.
"Farmers should not delay in harvesting ripe Boro paddy to prevent ruining of the crops. We encourage farmers to use family labour to overcome the labour crisis, said district DAE Deputy Director Abul Kashem Azad.