Published: 10:23 AM, 16 April 2026
Netrakona haor farmers worry as fuel crisis may impact paddy harvesting
Boro paddy harvesting has begun some of the areas in Netrokona haors. Although early harvesting has been started in some areas for a week, paddy harvesting began in full swing last Sunday (April 12). Till Wednesday afternoon, at least 11 percent of paddy has been harvested in various areas including Mohanganj, Madan, Khaliajuri, Kalmakanda.
The district agricultural extension officer is hoping that 100 percent paddy will be harvested within the next four weeks if the environment is favorable. Meanwhile, due to the fuel crisis, 4.5 lakh farmer families in Netrakona are worried about harvesting paddy in combine harvester machines.
In the current season, Boro paddy is cultivated on about 41,120 hectares of land in the lower reaches of the haors of the district alone. But despite the availability of the required combine harvesters, there is uncertainty about harvesting Boro rice on time due to the shortage of diesel in the market. However, the district administration and the agriculture department have taken appropriate measures to ensure the supply of diesel. The agriculture office said that there are a total of 750 combine harvesters in the district. Of these, 600 combine harvesters are operational. The rest are in preparation for repair to make them usable before the full-fledged paddy harvesting season.
Meanwhile, arrangements have been made for farmers to purchase oil from traders in retail through the administration's monitoring of the fuel oil markets for paddy harvesters.
District Agriculture Extension Officer Aminul Islam said, "Boro paddy has been cultivated on 41,120 hectares of land in the low-lying areas including all the haors in the district this time. Of this, high-yielding hybrid rice is more.
The life span of these rice is 145 days. Along with workers, more than seven hundred combined harvesters are harvesting rice. To ensure that there is no shortage of fuel oil for this machine, appropriate measures have been taken by the administration and the agriculture department to ensure supply. If there is no natural disaster, it will be possible to harvest 100 percent of the haor land by the second week of May."
The district agriculture office said that Boro is cultivated on 1,85,320 hectares of land in the district. The production target has been set at 1,186,000 metric tons of paddy. As of Wednesday afternoon, ripe paddy has been harvested on 4,521 hectares of land in 4 upazilas of the haor. However, due to rains since mid-Chaitra, water has accumulated in the low-lying paddy fields of the haor and it has been damaged due to waterlogging.
According to the official estimate, 1,120 hectares of raw paddy has been submerged and ruined. However, farmers say that the damage is almost double. Paddy cannot be harvested with combined harvester machines in the fields where water has accumulated.
If there is an early flood due to heavy rains, the crop protection dam may break and the paddy in the haor will be submerged. If the crop is damaged once, it will take a few years to recover.
However, there is no forecast of rain or flooding now, said Sakhawat Hossain, executive engineer of the Water Development Board (PAUBO) district. He said, "According to the information from the Flood Forecasting and Warning Center, there is no forecast of heavy rain until April 20.
During this time, light to moderate rain may occur in Sunamganj and upstream in Cherrapunji, India. This will not create a flood situation. So that farmers can harvest and bring their crops home without any problems, they have canceled their holidays and are in the field all the time."
Meanwhile, as the government has not started purchasing paddy, marginal farmers are selling paddy at local markets and moneylenders at low prices. Rathin Sarkar, a farmer from Sarkarhati village in Khaliajuri, said, we are able to harvest paddy safely as there is no hill slope or water. However, as the government has not started purchasing paddy, we have to sell paddy to local moneylenders. He said that they are selling paddy at 880 to 900 taka per maund.
Contacted, District Food Controller Md Moyatasimur Rahman said, "The date for the official start of the paddy procurement drive has not been decided yet. The government will take a decision in this regard as soon as it is announced."
Deputy Commissioner (DC) Khandaker Mushfiqur Rahman said, "Paddy harvesting is now in full swing in the haor areas. Whatever needs to be done is being done so that farmers can harvest the Boro paddy without any hassle."
>>Indrajit Sarkar, AA
