50pc of paddy grown in haors harvested so far: Minister

Agriculture Minister Dr Muhammad Abdur Razzaque on Sunday said farmers have already harvested 50 percent paddy from fields in the haor areas.

“As of today (Sunday), 50 percent paddy has been harvested in haor areas,” he said while talking to UNB over phone.He said the government has mobilised a adequate number of workers from different areas to the haor ones to harvest Boro paddy considering the risk of the crop damage by any heavy rainfall or flashflood.

The minister said now some 3,09,000 workers, including local ones, are harvesting in haor areas. Besides, some 400 combined harvesters and more than 400 reapers are engaged in the harvesting process there, he added.

Though the government has preparations , BR-29 paddy now cannot be harvested there as this variety will take more 6-7 days to be ripe, he said.“There w’ll be no problem in harvesting paddy from the plain land even after any rainfall,” said Dr Abdur Razzaque.

According to statistics of the Department of Agricultural Extension, Boro paddy were cultivated in 4,45,399 hectares of land in the haors of seven districts –-Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Habiganj, Sylhet and Brahmanbaria.

source: UNB