Farmers have expressed their joy for the bountiful production of jhum crops in the Rangamati district. Favorable weather and timely rainfall have supported this year’s production.
A recent trip to jhum cultivation areas showed that farmers are busy harvesting the Aus paddy yield from the hill slopes, reports UNB.
Jhum farmers produce rice, vegetables and other crops using the traditional and common method of jhum cultivation by farming on hill slopes. They do not need to plough the topsoil or use any pesticides.
The farmers prepare the topsoil for cultivation during the Bangla months of Falgun and Chaitra, by cutting and burning the forest.
During the months of Boishakh and Jaishtha, they sow seeds of: paddy, pumpkin, cotton, sesame, maize, vegetables, and other crops—digging holes on the slopes.
Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) encouraged jhum farmers to cultivate high-yielding paddy and vegetables on their lands.
An agriculture official Shantimoy Chakma said: "A total of 5090 hectares of land were brought under jhum cultivation this year."
"After the harvest, the farmers here will celebrate 'Nabanna Utsab'," DAE Deputy Director Paban Kumar Chakma said.
