District Correspondent, Sylhet: The boro paddy harvesting season is nearing its end in Shantiganj Upazila of Sunamganj. The fields are bathed in sunshine, and farmers’ faces are lit with relief. It feels like a story of triumph between nature and humanity. According to the Upazila Agriculture Office, about 95% of the paddy in the haor areas has been harvested so far.
Although the boro season began smoothly, the farmers faced uncertainties midway. The weather was somewhat unstable—sunshine one day and sudden rain the next. As the paddy in the haor fields began to ripen, such rainfall caused concern among the farmers. However, with the return of sunshine, those worries have faded, and farmers are now happy to bring home their golden harvest. Currently, the haor is bustling with activities like threshing and drying the harvested paddy.
According to the Upazila Agriculture Department, this year, boro paddy was cultivated on 22,612 hectares of land in various haor areas of Shantiganj. Among these, 18,397 hectares were in the haor regions, and 4,215 hectares were non-haor. This year’s production is expected to yield 143,583 metric tons of paddy and 94,765 metric tons of rice, valued at over Tk. 430 crore in the market.
Delwar Hossain, a farmer from Dekhar Haor, said, “There wasn’t much rain, but it came at odd times. So, I was worried about whether I’d be able to bring the paddy home. Now that the paddy is harvested, I feel relieved.”
Another farmer, Rafiq Mia, said, “We are poor people; paddy is our main asset. By Allah’s grace, the yield has been good this year, and the sun is also cooperating. We’re drying the paddy and storing it. It feels peaceful.”
Shantiganj Upazila Agriculture Officer Ahsan Habib said, “Farmers are happy to have overcome their worries and harvested their golden crops. Already, 95% of the paddy in the haor areas has been harvested. The remaining will be completed within a few days. With good market prices, farmers will make a profit.”
