Nalchiti, Jhalakathi, May 04 (V7N) – Farmers in Nalchiti, Jhalakathi, are experiencing a bittersweet harvest season. While the Boro rice cultivation has yielded a bumper crop, bringing initial joy, late-season heavy rains and Kalbaishakhi storms are now threatening to cause significant losses.

Vast stretches of fields across the ten unions of the upazila are ripe with golden paddy, and the harvest festival is underway. Favorable weather conditions earlier in the season contributed to the abundant yield, which the Upazila Agriculture Department anticipates will surpass initial targets. Boro rice was cultivated on 8,123 hectares of land this season, exceeding the planned area.

However, despite the promising start, farmers are now struggling to harvest their crops due to unseasonal and heavy rainfall. They report unprecedented amounts of rain at the beginning of summer, waterlogging fields and damaging the ripened rice.

Lutfor Sikder, a farmer from Timirkathi village, Dapadpia union, expressed his disappointment, stating that despite the initial expectation of a good harvest, substantial amounts of paddy have been spoiled by the late rains, leading to anticipated losses. Jamal Talukder, a farmer from ward no. 3 of the municipality, echoed these concerns, noting that while the Upazila Agriculture Office's support had raised hopes for a bumper harvest, the rain and storms during the harvesting period will likely result in significant losses.

Md. Zahid Hawlader, the Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officer of Nalchiti Upazila, acknowledged the good yield but recognized the challenges posed by the late-season natural disasters and heavy rainfall. He advised farmers to harvest their rice when 70 to 80 percent of it is ripe to mitigate potential damage.

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