Sunflower growers in Lalmonirhat are in anxiety as late blight disease has attacked their oil-seed plants on a vast tract of land, taking a toll of its production which declined by 60%.
Farmers in the district are apprehending that they would have to suffer heavy losses because of the fall in production.
This year, farmers of Fulgachh village under Lalmonirhat Sadar upazila have brought their land under sunflower cultivation as Brac, a non-government organisation, has provided them agri-inputs and technical assistance.
Farmers said one year ago they did not even know how to cultivate sunflowers. Being advised by Brac officials, they feel encouraged to nurture the sunflower on their land.
“Brac officials assured us that we will get at least 20kg production of sunflower from each decimal of land and the NGO will purchase one maund (40kg) of sunflower seed at Tk1,500 from us,” said a farmer.
He said they were very upset as their sunflower fields had been affected by late blight, an unhealthy condition of plants in which parts of them dry up and die.
“Brac provides us seed free of cost and provides 50% support for fertiliser,” he said, adding that they got only 8kg of seed from each decimal of land while it was supposed to be 20kg.
Nur Islam Nuru, a farmer of Fulgachh village, said he had cultivated sunflower on 14 decimals of land after getting input supports.
“I hoped that I would earn good profit but late blight is now playing with our fate,” he said, adding that he had harvested only six kilograms of oil seed from his field. He said farmers, who had brought their land under sunflower cultivation, tried their level best to save sunflower plants from the attack.
“I have cultivated sunflower on 20 decimals of land, but my entire field was affected by the disease. I may not achieve 40% of production which I expected earlier,” said another farmer Ramzan Ali.
“I spent Tk3,500 to bring 20 decimals of land under cultivation. Now, I am much tensed about how I could recoup the loss.” He urged Brac officials to come forward to help them.
Lalmonirhat BRAC officials’ sources, however, said as sunflower farming was profitable crop and it had high demand in the market, so Barc encouraged some farmers under its “Agriculture and Food Security” project for farming this crop.
The Regional Manager RM of Brac’s Agriculture and Food Security Programme Biplob Kumar Nath said Brac would take measures so that farmers would get fair prices of the agri-produces.
