Sylhet Bureau :
A total of 17 posts are vacant including 14 Deputy Assistant Agriculture Officers in Directorate of Agriculture Extension (DAE) office in Biyanibazar Upazila under Sylhet district. As a result, farmers are deprived of advice and services at the field level. They are deprived of the opportunity to get the services from the agro-officials at field-level.
According to the sources of the Upazila Agricultural Extension Department, there are 31 posts of assistant agricultural officers in the upazila, but 14 posts are vacant for a long time. Apart from this, the posts of Additional Agricultural Officer and 2 more Agricultural Extension Officers are vacant in the upazila. People are already less interested in agriculture in Biyanibazar. Facing multifaceted problems, those involved in agriculture are also deprived of desired services. In this, the amount of uncultivated land in the vast area of the upazila is only increasing. Professional farmers are also leaving the profession.
Professional farmers of different unions said, ‘We don’t get union assistant agricultural officers when there are various problems in Aush, Aman and winter vegetables. A union is supposed to have 3 officers, there is only 1. Farmers have to get confused in this.’ Due to the shortage of manpower, there is no effort to go to the field and solve the problems of the farmers.
Ali Hossain, a farmer in Saropar village of Muria, said, ‘In case of insect attack or rot disease on the land, advice from agricultural officials is never available at the right time. When apply any fertilizer or pesticide to the land, one has to know from the local agriculturists. Have to suffer many things. In the absence of proper advice, the desired crop is not produced.’
