BARISHAL, Apr 9: Light to moderate rainfall across Barishal and the southern region from Wednesday midnight to Thursday morning has brought relief to Boro farmers but raised concerns among watermelon growers.
Farmers said the showers, measuring 5-7 millimetres over the past three days, have reduced irrigation needs in Boro paddy fields. As a result, farmers can save on diesel and lubricants, lowering production costs.
Officials estimate that uninterrupted irrigation across 5.1 million hectares of Boro fields nationwide requires about 500,000 litres of diesel daily, with Barishal and the greater southern region accounting for nearly 400,000 hectares. Around 87,000 power pumps are in operation, 74,000 of which are diesel-driven.
Agriculture officials said, Boro fields in the region will not require irrigation for at least a week due to the rainfall. The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) expects 1.8 million tonnes of Boro rice from the southern region this season, provided irrigation continues until mid-May.
However, watermelon growers are worried. Around 35,000 hectares of watermelon fields remain vulnerable to excessive rainfall. This season, 71,000 hectares produced 3.5 million tonnes of watermelon, half of which has already been marketed. Nearly 1.7 million tonnes are still in the fields. Farmers fear heavy rain could devastate crops, as happened in previous years when storms destroyed about 20 percent of the harvest.
Despite recent diesel shortages that disrupted transportation, watermelon shipments have resumed nationwide. Yet looming clouds and forecasts of scattered showers have left growers anxious. Meteorological officials said a trough of low pressure lies over West Bengal and adjoining areas, while a seasonal low is active over the southern Bay of Bengal. They forecast light rain or thundershowers in parts of Barishal and the southern region through Saturday, but no heavy rainfall in the coming week.
Long-term forecasts suggest 120-140 millimetres of rain in Barishal during April and 230-240 millimetres in May. Farmers said if the weather holds for another 15 days, most of the remaining watermelon can be marketed. This season, watermelons worth Tk 15,000 crore are expected to be sold in the region, with Tk 8,000 crore worth still in the fields.
