Pest attack worries farmers in Dinajpur

Farmers in Dinajpur are in a state of utter dismay to see their Aman paddy dying from unknown disease. The withering paddy has come as a shock as it has shattered the hope of farmers of getting a bumper production and the chance to recoup the losses they had suffered due to damage by floods.  Imtiaz Hossain of Nulaibari village in Sadar upazila said he cultivated Aman paddy on 10 acres of land and almost all the crops in the field have been infected by the unidentified disease. The same is the condition of other farmers.
 One day, Imtiaz noticed that leaves of some of the mature paddy plants started turning yellowish. Most of the plants later withered to the anguish of the poor farmer.   “I have applied all types of prescribed medicines as per the advice of field level agriculture officer to save my paddy plants, but to no effect”, he said.
 According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur, at least 4.85 lakh hectares of land has been brought under Aman farming in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts this year against the target of 4.76 lakh hectares.
Total production target has been set at 14.44 lakh tonnes of rice.
The Aman paddy in different villages of Chirirbandar and Dinajpur Sadar upazila has been found infected with the disease.
The affected farmers said they are not getting any result after applying the pesticides.
Md Rustom Ali of Boltoir village in Sadar upazila said he has not seen such diseases before. Besides, the field level agriculture officials are also not aware about the disease and its remedy, he claimed.
“We have been spending lot of money on pesticide application without any result,” said Selim Reza of Kisanbazaar area.
Ali Akbar, a field level agriculture officer of Dinajpur DAE, visited the affected areas few days ago. The official said he has detected the disease as Bacterial Leaf Blight (BAB), which is caused by shortage of potassium in the soil.
The high official of DAE has advised farmers to apply Potassium and Magnesium sulphate as a remedy.
But farmers claimed that despite application of these minerals they were not getting any result.
DAE official said they yet to ascertain the affected area. But a source at the Dinajpur DAE said the affected area might be 300 hectares at best in Chirirbandar and Dinajpur Sadar.
Rifatul Hossain Deputy Director of DAE also termed the disease as BAB (Bactarial Leaf Blight), which has affected some places in Dinajpur.
The Deputy Director said the application of the minerals in perfect dose might give good result. The disease might affect rice production in the region, he added.

Pest attack worries farmers in Dinajpur

Farmers in Dinajpur are in a state of utter dismay to see their Aman paddy dying from unknown disease. The withering paddy has come as a shock as it has shattered the hope of farmers of getting a bumper production and the chance to recoup the losses they had suffered due to damage by floods. Imtiaz Hossain of Nulaibari village in Sadar upazila said he cultivated Aman paddy on 10 acres of land and almost all the crops in the field have been infected by the unidentified disease. The same is the condition of other farmers. One day, Imtiaz noticed that leaves of some of the mature paddy plants started turning yellowish. Most of the plants later withered to the anguish of the poor farmer. I have applied all types of prescribed medicines as per the advice of field level agriculture officer to save my paddy plants, but to no effect, he said. According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Dinajpur, at least 4.85 lakh hectares of land has been brought under Aman farming in Dinajpur, Thakurgaon and Panchagarh districts this year against the target of 4.76 lakh hectares. Total production target has been set at 14.44 lakh tonnes of rice. The Aman paddy in different villages of Chirirbandar and Dinajpur Sadar upazila has been found infected with the disease. The affected farmers said they are not getting any result after applying the pesticides. Md Rustom Ali of Boltoir village in Sadar upazila said he has not seen such diseases before. Besides, the field level agriculture officials are also not aware about the disease and its remedy, he claimed. We have been spending lot of money on pesticide application without any result, said Selim Reza of Kisanbazaar area. Ali Akbar, a field level agriculture officer of Dinajpur DAE, visited the affected areas few days ago. The official said he has detected the disease as Bacterial Leaf Blight (BAB), which is caused by shortage of potassium in the soil. The high official of DAE has advised farmers to apply Potassium and Magnesium sulphate as a remedy. But farmers claimed that despite application of these minerals they were not getting any result. DAE official said they yet to ascertain the affected area. But a source at the Dinajpur DAE said the affected area might be 300 hectares at best in Chirirbandar and Dinajpur Sadar. Rifatul Hossain Deputy Director of DAE also termed the disease as BAB (Bactarial Leaf Blight), which has affected some places in Dinajpur. The Deputy Director said the application of the minerals in perfect dose might give good result. The disease might affect rice production in the region, he added.