Intense heat, rain deficit threaten Aman yields in Rangpur

Aman rice farmers are facing growing difficulties due to intense heat and a prolonged lack of rainfall. Fields of transplanted Aman rice in different areas of Pirganj and Mithapukur upazilas in Rangpur are experiencing severe water shortages, forcing farmers to spend more on irrigation.

A visit to the fields on Saturday found that Aman cultivation depends heavily on regular rainfall during the season. However, a prolonged shortage of adequate rain has reduced soil moisture.

Under intense sunshine and high temperatures, the soil is drying out quickly, making it difficult for farmers to keep their rice plants healthy.

Many farmers are now trying to irrigate their fields to protect their crops. However, the additional irrigation costs have caused concern among small and marginal farmers. They fear that yields could decline if rain does not arrive soon.

Water shortages have affected transplanted Aman fields across the 15 unions and one municipality of Pirganj upazila. In some places, the soil has dried out and developed deep cracks, raising concerns among farmers about normal crop growth and production.

According to the agriculture department, 25,595 hectares of land have been brought under transplanted Aman cultivation in Pirganj upazila this season. However, officials fear that a prolonged rainfall deficit could adversely affect production.

Upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist Sumon Ahmed said farmers should irrigate their fields according to crop requirements and take measures to retain soil moisture under the current conditions.

“We are providing farmers with the necessary advice at the field level. We hope that rainfall in the coming days will help minimise damage to the rice crop,” he said.

Safu Mia, a farmer from Pirganj Sadar Union, said there was no water in his rice fields, leaving him with no option but to irrigate them at additional expense.

“Production costs have increased significantly. If it does not rain soon, we will face serious problems with the yield. A continued lack of water at this stage could cause substantial damage to the crop,” he said.

Majnu Mia, a farmer from Raipur, said the soil in his fields had cracked and the rice plants were no longer growing as well as before.

“The only hope now is rain by the grace of Allah. Aman rice is one of our main sources of food and income throughout the year, so we urgently need rainfall,” he said.

Ripon Mia, a farmer from Chandipur village in Kumedpur Union, said rice fields required plenty of water at this stage, particularly as the plants approached the panicle emergence phase.

“Rainfall has been inadequate this year, leaving us without the water our fields need. We have been forced to irrigate, increasing production costs by around Tk 1,500 per bigha,” he said.

Nazrul Islam, a farmer from Raipur Union, said farmers generally depended on rainwater to cultivate Aman rice. When rainfall failed to arrive on time, they had to arrange irrigation through alternative means, increasing costs as well as the time and labour required.

Farmers in Mirzapur and Imadpur unions of Mithapukur upazila, including Abu Bakkar Mia, Himel, son of Abdus Sattar, and Amrul Mia, said they had irrigated their Aman fields four to five times because of the water shortage.

They also reported pest attacks due to the dry conditions and said fertiliser shortages had forced them to purchase supplies at higher prices, further increasing production costs.

Gol Hossain of Haripur said he had cultivated Aman rice on one bigha of land and had already irrigated it four times. He had also sprayed pesticides on the crop.

“I do not think I will be able to recover my production costs from this year’s Aman cultivation,” he said.
Ranu Mia, a farmer from the municipality area, said the need for water had increased as the rice plants approached the panicle emergence stage. However, without sufficient rainfall, it was difficult to retain water in the fields.

Farmers invest considerable hope and money in Aman cultivation, he said, but unfavourable weather conditions had left them worried about whether their efforts would pay off.