84pc Boro paddy harvesting completed in haor: Zahed Ur Rahman

Prime Minister's Information and Broadcasting Adviser Zahed Ur Rahman today said bumper production of Boro paddy has been achieved in seven haor districts of the country's northeastern region during the current season, while harvesting of 84.81 percent of the targeted paddy crop has already been completed. Farmers are harvesting paddy in relief overcoming the fears of crop damage caused by heavy rainfall and onrush of water from upstream areas, he said.

The adviser disclosed this at a weekly press briefing held at the PID conference room this morning. He said Boro cultivation was carried out on a total of 455,153 hectares of land in seven districts - Sylhet, Sunamganj, Habiganj and Moulvibazar under Sylhet region, Kishoreganj under Dhaka region, Brahmanbaria under Cumilla region and Netrokona under Mymensingh region. According to updated information from the Ministry of Agriculture, harvesting has so far been completed on 374,757 hectares of land.

Referring to concerns over submergence of paddy in haor areas due to recent heavy rainfall and upstream water flow, the adviser said paddy on around 1,315 hectares of land had gone under water following rainfall that began on May 7, which accounted for only 0.29 percent of the total cultivated land. He said no major damage occurred as water receded quickly and weather conditions remained favourable, adding uncertainty over production has already eased as more than 84 percent of the paddy has been harvested.

Highlighting the government's preparations to ensure food security, Zahed Ur Rahman said the internal Boro procurement drive began on May 3. Until May 10, some 1,510 metric tonnes of paddy and 4,050 metric tonnes of rice were procured. The government has set a target to procure 18 lakh metric tonnes of paddy and rice during the current season, including 500,000 tonnes of paddy, 12 lakh tonnes of parboiled rice and 100,000 tonnes of atop rice.

The adviser at the press conference said Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has urged the country's young generation to engage in agriculture and other productive sectors. The government has been working to make the sector more profitable and sustainable through modernization of agriculture and ensuring fair prices for farmers.