CHOUGACHA, Jashore — Golden dreams sway in the wind across the rice fields of Chougacha upazila in Jashore district, where farming families say the air now carries the scent of ripening Boro paddy.
Farmers expect a bumper harvest of the Boro rice crop this season, with every grain-laden stalk carrying the weight of their hopes for the year ahead. But the celebration is tempered by worries about whether they can bring the crop home on time amid a severe heat wave and a feared shortage of farm labor.
The upazila is alive with the festive mood of harvest. While a few farmers have begun cutting their paddy, full-scale harvesting and threshing are expected to start within a week. The work will run from early morning to evening despite the intense heat.
Mominur Rahman of Pashapole village, Nuruzzaman of Rakrishnapur village and Abu Kalam of Koyarpara village said each of them planted three bighas of Boro paddy this season. Given their costs, they would need at least 1,700 taka per maund to break even, they said.
Farmers said the season has produced an abundant crop and that harvesting will begin within days. They expressed concern about natural disasters and the shortage of farm workers.
According to the upazila agriculture office, Boro cultivation was targeted at 18,200 hectares this year. Cultivation was completed on 18,000 hectares, with a production target of 79,200 tonnes.
Upazila Agriculture Officer Mosabbir Hossain said the weather has been favorable and the heat has caused little damage to the crop. A few farmers have already started harvesting, he said. The agriculture department will deploy combine harvesters to ease the labor shortage, he added, and farmers have been advised to quickly cut paddy in fields where the crop has lodged.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report