Satyendranath Roy, Domar (Nilphamari)

Farmers are in fear of damage Aman paddy due to the attack of insects at Domar in Nilphamari.

When the harvesting will begin after few days, the smell of rice harvesting will fall. The new Aman paddy will reach to the houde of the farmers. At the end of the season, the attack of insects has left the farmers in disarray.

Farmers are worried about the attack of currants and midges. Spraying medicine to eat does not match the benefits. Upazila

This disease is not only in one or two unions but it has spread to ten unions including one municipality. Anil Chandra Roy, a farmer of Shalmara village of Harinchara union in Domar, said that in his two acres of 33 percent paddy field, the paddy plants sometimes die in dry weather. I have sprayed a lot of medicine but it is of no use, I doubt whether it will cost.

This will reduce my paddy yield (33 percent) by two to three maunds per bigha. Ashikur Rahman, a farmer of Ward No. 8 of Chikonmati area of the municipality, said that out of the total 1 acre of 66 percent of the plantation, I have 16 percent of the entire paddy field. This disease is spreading rapidly in paddy field. Anarul Islam of Boragari Union does not have a single paddy on 16 percent of the land.

Delwar Hossain of Sonara Union has the same condition of 33 percent, Mashiar Rahman of Panganga Matukpur Union has lost 33 percent.

Farmers are worried about rice. Farmers said that last year, about 33 percent of the land yielded below 12 to 13 maunds of paddy. There will be less than 2 to 3 maunds of paddy in Pratibigha (33 percent). By doing this, the farmers will be deprived of the desired crop and in the same way, there may be a shortage in the Aman paddy stock.

Domar Upazila Agriculture Officer (Agriculturist) Anichuzzaman said when this matter was discussed

I have asked the farmer to cut the rice plant at hand's distance and leave it empty, and I have advised to spray the medicine at the base of the rice. Spraying medicine on the land before such diseases attack is more effective in protecting rice. Moreover, farmers are advised to cut 70 per cent of the land when paddy ripens. Farmers do not plant rice plants in the land according to the rules we ask to plant rice plants. Also, our Upazila Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer is always giving various suggestions to the farmers to protect their crops.

However, if the same crop is planted repeatedly in the same land, the prevalence of diseases in that land is high. Apart from this, farmers are advised to cultivate new varieties of Bina paddy 17 and Bina-22 varieties in advance to get more yield. This year Aman cultivation has been done on 18 thousand 4 hundred 35 hectares of land in the upazila.

Out of that, 16 thousand 190 hectares of sub-species, 2 thousand two hundred hectares of hybrids, 45 hectares of indigenous varieties.