Boro including other crops seedbeds damages due to cold

Staff Reporter :
Boro and other crops like mastered, maize seedbeds in many districts across the country are getting damaged under the impact of persistent cold wave and dense fog.
Farmers are struggling to save the seedbeds by covering them with polythene and spraying medicines, but worried about recovery of their production cost.
 During visit to different areas in Tangail Delduar upazila many farmers were seen sowing boro seeds in their fields again as their seedbeds got damaged due to cold weather and dense fog.
Anisur Rahman , 47, a farmer of Delduar union said that he prepared boro seedbed on eight decimals of land but a portion of it got damaged due to cold weather. “I sprayed pesticides and fungicides several times in last 20 days to save my seedbed from cold. But the paddy plants are still dying. I have sowed seeds again to get seedlings for boro cultivation on my selected land,” he said.
Mohammad Hafizur Rahman of the same area said he has to sow seeds again to cultivate boro paddy in his lands as the seedbeds, prepared for boro cultivation on three bighas of his land, have turned yellowish and got damaged.
“I sowed 20-kg of boro seeds on ten decimals of land but most of the seedlings have been damaged due to cold weather. I am now worried about recovery of the high production cost as the market price of paddy is low,” said Ismail Hossain of the same village.
Md Ahasanul Basar, Deputy Director of Tahgail Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), said boro seedbeds in some villages of the district are affected due to severe cold weather but it will be recovered if the weather improves shortly.”
Farmers are advised to water seedbeds at night, cover them with polythene and use proper fertiliser. After maintaining this, if needed, farmers can spray Thiovit to save their Irri-Boro seedbeds from cold injuries,” he said.
“When the weather becomes sunny, farmers can apply top dressing on affected seedbeds with a mixture of 280-gram urea and 100-gram potash per decimal of land to help the seedlings get back normalcy,” he added. He claimed that the production target will not be hampered as such situation arises in the district every winter.