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Extension, said Boro paddy was cultivated on 185,460 hectares in the district this season, and around 90 percent of it has already been harvested.

“The rest could have been harvested quickly, but due to rain and lightning, there has been some delay,” he said.

He said out of 1,004 harvester machines in the district, 734 are currently operational. However, with fewer crops left in the fields, many machines have moved to nearby upland areas. As a result, farmers are having to rely on labourers, who are now demanding higher wages.

Netrokona has set a paddy production target of 1.262 million tonnes this season, with an estimated market value of over Tk 4,543 crore. However, due to natural disasters and a shortage of machinery, around 15 percent of the district’s farmers may face financial losses.