After his recent plan to help local farmers sell their melons online successfully took off, Kotalipara Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) SM Mahfuzur Rahman has come up with yet another brilliant idea, this time to help paddy farmers overcome the shortage of farmhands during this year’s harvest season in Gopalganj.
A Facebook page called the “Chashir Hashi Cell” was created on Monday so locals who are equally concerned with the labour shortage during this harvest season can voluntarily sign up to lend a hand.
This initiative, much like the previous one, has earned impressive responses, with 500 new registrations on its first day on Tuesday, by volunteers who want to support local farmers in their time of need.
Farmer Yunus Sheikh of Kotalipara, said: “Our Boro paddy has started to ripen. Some of it has been harvested but we are still concerned about the shortage of thousands of farmhands from other districts who are usually here to help during the harvest season.
“However, many thoughtful people of the upazila have decided to help gather our harvest which is very commendable, but more people need to register to make up for the shortage of labour this year,” he added.
Kotalipara UNO SM Mahfuzur Rahman said: “Due to the countrywide shutdown imposed by the government to curb the coronavirus outbreak, farmhands from across the country will not be able to get to Kotalipara to help with this year’s Boro harvest. So, we have decided to ask for assistance from locals who are currently without jobs and want to support their local farmers.”
UNO Mahfuz has asked upazila residents to contact 01734705099, 01745387135, 01918683265 or directly visit the Facebook page—“Chashir Hashi Cell”. Apart from this, volunteers can visit room-312 of the upazila parishad office and collect a registration form there also.
Kotalipara Upazila Agriculture Officer Nitul Roy said: “This year Boro paddy has been cultivated on 24,520 hectares and the production target for the crop has been set at 125,000 tons. The crops have begun to ripen and farmers have already gathered 10% of this year’s harvest. We have instructed farmers to harvest all their crops as soon as they are ripe.”
