RAJSHAHI, Jan 19: Unplanned use of powdered sulphate in betel leaf orchards at different villages under Paba and Mohanpur upazilas of the district has damaged the produce this year.
The damage was estimated at about Tk 1 crore.
Farmers alleged that upazila agriculture officials did not come to look into the matter.
Sources at the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Rajshahi said this year's betel leaf farming target in six upazilas of the district is 1,821 hectares of land, and the production target is about 34,954 metric tons of betel leaf. The average price of those is Tk 110 crore.
There are about 25,550 betel leaf gardens in Rajshahi. About one lakh growers are directly or indirectly engaged in the cultivation. Betel leaf is mainly cultivated in Paba, Mohanpur, Bagmara, Durgapur, Puthia and Charghat upazilas.
Growers of Borgasi Kalupara Village in Paba Upazila took lease of lands and cultivated betel leaf. This year the yield was good. But, after they applied the sulphate of "Lal Teer" and "Three G" brands of Surma Fertiliser Industries, their products have been damaged.
Despite informing about the incident, Paba Upazila Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officer (SAAO) Mokbul Hossen Mukul did not come to help the farmers, it was alleged.
Some 100 victims of Krishnapur Village in Mohanpur Upazila and others in Paba Upazila said they applied the sulphates to their betel leaf gardens and got bad results.
They also said they bought the sulphates from the dealer Moshiur Rahman of Dhopaghata Bazaar in Mohanpur Upazila. As per his instruction, they applied the sulphates on the root of their betel leaf plants, but those started dying.
Grower Shamsul Haque said they will have to suffer loss as the betel leaf orchards have been damaged.
Locals said due to negligence of the agriculture department, the chemicals are not properly tested. As a result, the farmers use the chemicals rampantly, and their crops get damaged.
If the growers were advised properly, it would not happen, they added.
SAAO Kamruzzaman of Krishnapur area under Mohanpur Upazila and SAAO of Kalupara area under Paba Upazila Mokbul Hossen said they visited the damaged betel leaf gardens and informed the matter to the respective upazila agriculture offices.
Alleged dealer Moshiur Rahman said, "I am a student. Generally, dealers sell sulphate and other pesticides in this way. The incident happened before my realisation. The company is not maintaining communication with me. But, I have compensated the victims up to my ability."
Mohanpur Upazila Agriculture Officer Rahima Begum said, "No growers made any complaint in this connection. We seized the samples and sent those to lab for testing."
