Seed shortage to hit Aman cultivation in Southern region

Barishal Correspondent :
Aman cultivation has been hampered due to seed shortage downpour in southern region including Barguna .
Farmers said that even after preparing the fields, several lands will remain uncultivated due to lack of seeds. This has raised concerns among the farmers about the cultivation , the main crop of the coastal district of Barguna.
The Barguna District Agriculture Department also said that it will not be possible to achieve the target of Aman this time.
Farmer and Agricultural Department sources said that Aman seed shortage has occurred in Barguna as the seed bed has been damaged due to water logging caused by continuous rains.
Cultivators informed they had prepared the fields for Aman plantation but the fields are empty due to seed shortage According to the Department of Agriculture, the main crop of the farmers in the coastal area is Ropa Aman. Agriculture Department helps the farmers with seeds. 55% of Barguna’s land is cultivated with three varieties of high-yielding rice, BR, Bri and Bina. Apart from this, the remaining 45 percent of the land is planted with local varieties of saplings.
Deputy Director of Barguna District Agriculture Extension Officer Abu Syed Jobaidul Alam said, this year, all the seedbeds of Aman were submerged due to the flooding caused by continuous rains. Almost all seedlings at relatively low seeding levels were destroyed. There is a fear in the Aman yield of the coastal district due to the destruction of the seed bed.
He said, “Aman is the main crop of Barguna farmers. But this time it will not be possible to achieve our target.
According to the data of the District Water Development Board, 477 mm of rain fell in the coastal district of Barguna during the last week of July. Apart from this, about 100 mm of rain in August flooded the seed bed of Aman and destroyed the seedlings.
Farmers said that those who built seedbeds on high land, their seedlings were not damaged. Many people are buying those seedlings. However, the price of one seer of rice seeds is at least 200 taka. As a result, they are in trouble due to the loss of seedlings.
Now there is a shortage of seedlings in a large amount of land in the district, which is not being met. Farmers said that many lands may remain uncultivated.
According to the information of the District Agricultural Extension Office, the target for Aman cultivation was 9.8 lakh 800 hectares of land in Barguna this year. Among them 25 thousand 400 hectares in Barguna Sadar, 23 thousand 371 in Amtali, 16 thousand 230 in Taltali, 10 thousand 692 in Betagi, 6 thousand 330 in Baman and 16 thousand 827 hectares in Patharghata upazila. Hybrid, high yielding and local varieties of Aman are reported to be cultivated in these lands.
Journalists after visiting came to know that Barguna Sadar, Amtali upazila is the mostly Aman cultivated field in the district.
Journalists after visiting Haldia, Athargachia of Amtali Sadar and Chhotabgi, Pachakodalia Union of Taltali Upazila came to know that Aman fields are prepared for seed planting but the fields are lying empty due to lack of seeds.
Abdul Jabbar Mridha, a farmer of Kaunia village of Chawra Union under Barguna Sadar upazila , said, “It is time to sow seeds in the field of Aman, I am preparing the ground for cultivation, but the mogo seeds are all dry, and the water in the water is spoiling all the seeds.”
The same is the case with Aman farmers in Patharghata, Betagi and Bamana upazilas of the district.