Farmers busy preparing Boro seedbeds in Sylhet

Farmers across four districts in Sylhet division are racing against time to prepare seedbeds as the window for Boro rice cultivation rapidly closes.

With the target for Boro farming this season set at 497,683 hectares, officials and farmers are working hard to meet the deadline.

The target for Boro cultivation is divided between haor and non-haor areas, with 266,848 hectares designated for haor regions and 220,805 hectares for non-haor regions. The breakdown by district is as follows: in Sylhet 87,800 hectares, in Moulvibazar 62,500 hectares, in Habiganj 123,848 hectares, and in Sunamganj 223,505 hectares (the highest in the division).

According to an official from the Sylhet divisional office of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), the target for seedbed preparation this year is 23,437 hectares.

To date, 18,120 hectares of seedbeds have been prepared. In comparison, 25,975 hectares were prepared last year.

While progress in haor areas is nearly complete, with 98 per cent of the target achieved, seedbed preparation in non-haor areas has been slower, with only about 20 per cent of the target area covered. Officials anticipate that more work will be done in non-haor areas as there is still time before the planting season begins.

Dilwar Hossain, a farmer from Kandigaon village in Golapganj upazila, mentioned that while land preparation is still ongoing, it will be completed within two weeks. l.

Farmers in the haor region, where Boro rice farming is a primary livelihood, face the added challenge of protecting their crops from early rains and storms. The government has placed special emphasis on safeguarding these crops, as such weather events can cause significant damage. To mitigate this risk, many farmers are opting for short-duration Boro rice varieties that can be harvested early, reducing the likelihood of storm damage.

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