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A total of 10 solar irrigation units have been installed in all the four districts of Sylhet division this year. The main objective of the scheme is to ensure smooth farming of Boro in the remote areas where electricity supply is not available. It will also help enable cultivation of the paddy on over about 200 hectares of land for the first time.
The solar schemes has been set under a special project named 'Sylhet Division minor Irrigation Development Project', said assistant engineer, BADC Sylhet zone, Rubayed Foisal Al-Masum on Wednesday.
Tk 3.5 million had been spent for each of the solar schemes, he added.
President of the farmers group of the irrigation scheme Md Jamaluddin, also head of the nearby madrasa said about 100 bighas of land belonging to 80 farmers had already been irrigated while some more would join this season. It would be 100 this year. However the number of farmers would be about 250 in the coming year raising the covering land to 150 bighas, for Boro farming for the first time.
"We had never thought Boro cultivation on the land due to shortage of water," a good number of farmers said. At least 2,500 maunds of paddy would be produced, they hoped.
"It is a trouble-free easy system. It works three to four hours a day", said Mujammil Ali, a member of the 20-men farmers group.
"We have to give Tk 23,500 yearly in rent to the Bangladesh Agricultural Development Corporation (BADC), he added.
"The farmers' groups are responsible managing things for keeping the solar unit. We would provide technical assistance", said BADC sub-assistant Engr Tausiful Haque. He further said a total of 150 bighas of land would get under the irrigation facility.
Of the rest solar units, one has been set at Meghergaon under Sylhet Sadar and two in Derai upazila and two in Sunamganj Sadar. A total of two units have been set in Habiganj and two in Moulvibazar district, official sources said.