Electricity crisis hampering Boro farming

Boro cultivation is being hampered in the district of Madaripur during the on-going boro season due to frequent load shedding and erratic power supply. Maximum boro lands have been dried up as the farmers could not irrigate their land due to power crisis. Cracks have also been developed in some of those lands.

In this situation, farmers are apprehending that they might not achieve the production target of boro this season. According to the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), a scheme was taken up to bring about 47 thousand hectares of land under the boro cultivation this season in the district with an output target of three lakh metric tones. Ninety percent of the land have already been cultivated and the remainder soon. Deputy Director of DAE, Madaripur told The Bangladesh Today that farmers received agricultural inputs timely this season."That is why bumper production was in sight in this season if uninterrupted electricity for irrigation was provided under favourable weather," he said.

Kasem Hossain, a farmer from Jaforabad village under Sadar upazila, said that he brought five acres of land under boro cultivation this season but could not irrigate his land properly due to frequent load shedding. Official source said there was a demand for 40-megawatt electricity in the Madaripur district per day but 18 to 20 mw of electricity was being supplied.

April 8, 2009
wednesday