BOGURA, Feb 16: Bogura's farmers are now passing their busiest season as Boro cultivation gets underway across the district.
In many fields, potato harvesting has just ended, and seedlings of Boro paddy are being transplanted in quick succession.
Encouraged by good prices for Aman paddy last season, growers are showing renewed enthusiasm, while agricultural labourers are working in rows, singing as they plant seedlings.
Farmers say their lives revolve around the fields-planting, harvesting, and tending crops year round. "This is our food, our clothing, our everything," one grower remarked. Yet labour shortages have become a growing concern. Many traditional farmhands have shifted to driving battery run rickshaws and auto rickshaws, earning Tk 800 to Tk 1,200 a day with less physical strain.
As a result, production costs are rising, with higher wages and fertiliser prices adding to farmers' worries.
Shakharia farmer Babu Mia noted that while enthusiasm is high, the cost of inputs could affect profitability. "Labour and fertiliser prices are up, so expenses will be heavier this season," he said.
According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), Bogura has set a target of cultivating Boro on 185,610 hectares this year, with an expected output of 777,926 metric tonnes of rice. Last season, Boro was grown on 185,590 hectares, producing 777,400 tonnes. Assistant agriculture officer and statistician Farid Ahmed confirmed that fertiliser supplies remain normal and, if weather stays favourable, another bumper harvest is likely.
Local farmers echoed the optimism, saying all types of fertiliser are available. Agricultural labourer Abdul Hannan added that daily wages for seedling planters now stand at Tk 500 per person, including two meals.
Despite rising costs, growers remain hopeful. With favourable weather and steady input supply, Bogura's fields are once again alive with the rhythm of planting, promising a season of abundance if challenges can be managed.
