Farmers in the Kurigram Sadar upazila have started harvesting half-ripe Boro paddy due to continuous heavy rains over the last three days.
Farmers in the eight unions of the upazila and adjacent to Marakhal around river basins were seen harvesting half-ripe paddy to minimize their losses.
Zakir Hossain, agriculture officer of Kurigram Sadar upazila, said that 117,000 hectares of land have been brought under Boro cultivation in the district this season.
Of these, 13,120 hectares of land have been cultivated in Sadar upazila. Already 25% of paddy has been harvested in the district. “But farmers are worried about the rest of the paddy," he added.
Abed Ali, a farmer in the Shulkur Bazar area of Panchgachhi union of Sadar upazila, said: “Due to the downpours for the last three days, my two and a half acres of half-ripe paddy went underwater. Now I have to pay extra money to workers for harvesting this paddy."
Farmers Abed Ali and Habibur Rahman said that half of their paddy was submerged due to excessive rains. “We are cutting paddy in the hope of getting straw,” they added.
Abdur Sabur Mia, in charge of the Rajarhat Agricultural Meteorological Observatory, said 209 mm of rainfall has been recorded in Kurigram in the last three days. He forecast heavy rains and thundershowers with gusty winds in the next two to three days.
