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Download PDF Farmers in 16 northern districts will have to spend an additional amount of about Tk 79 crore to operate their diesel-run irrigation pumps for boro cultivation during April-May due to the latest hike in diesel price.
Sources in the Northern Control Room of Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) said at least 11,26,70,000 litres of diesel is needed for smooth running of more than 5,51,000 diesel-run irrigation pumps including 5,40,000 shallow ones during April-May, incurring an extra cost of Tk 78,86,90,000.
The total allocation for boro irrigation for the period of December 2006-May 2007 is currently Tk 137 crore.
April-May is the time when boro crops need heavy irrigation, but poor farmers of the northern districts are finding it hard to buy diesel for their pumps because of the hiked price of the fuel.
Lack of irrigation will dehydrate the boro crops, the farmers said.
The Northern Control Room sources said irrigation in the region in the next boro season (December 2007-May 2008) will require an additional Tk 290 crore if the hiked up price of diesel remains in effect.
Farmers of Kurigram, one of the most poverty-ridden northern districts, will have to spend an additional amount of Tk 2,08,00,000 to smoothly run their 29,950 diesel-run pumps for irrigating 86,190 hectares of boro land.
Sources in the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said more than 15 lakh hectares of land have been cultivated in the region, including Naogaon, Joypurhat, Bogra and three districts of greater Dinajpur where food production saw a surplus.
Although the target amount of land for boro cultivation in the 16 northern districts was estimated at 14,40,261 hectares, DAE sources said an additional 74,914 hectares of land have been cultivated.
Ibrahim, a farmer of Kawatikri village under Shingra upazila of Natore, said he will need additional Tk 5,460 to operate two shallow pumps during April-May to irrigate his 17 hectares of boro land.
SM Abdul Mannan of Mahadevpur upazila in Naogaon said he will have to spend Tk 4,550 more for irrigating 11 hectares of land.
Mohammad Ayub Ali of Hariharpur village under Sadar upazila of Thakurgaon said he will need Tk 5,400 more to smoothly operate his only shallow pump for irrigating his boro field. He needs 10 litres of diesel a day for the purpose.
Ayub said he used to purchase diesel for Tk 33.60 per litre from the district headquarters, but now it costs him Tk 42.60.
Our Sirajganj correspondent reported that about five lakh farmers in the district are frustrated as they are not being able to buy diesel for the increased price.
Many of their boro fields have already developed cracks due to lack of irrigation as most shallow pumps have been remaining idle, they said.
Zillur Rahman, a farmer and owner of three shallow pumps in Muradpur village of the district, said he needs at least 45 litres of diesel to run the pumps. The amount of the fuel will now cost him Tk 1,800 whereas the cost was Tk 1,485 earlier.
With his daily irrigation expenditure increasing by Tk 315, Zillur is now apprehending losses fearing that the harvest will not be enough to recover the production cost.
Sirajganj DAE sources said a total of 1,26,760 hectares of land were brought under IRRI-Boro cultivation this year and 56,000 pumps including 45,800 run by diesel were installed in nine upazilas.
The sources said a total of 2.5 lakh litres of diesel is required to keep the pumps in the region running for a whole day. The fuel was bought at Tk 82,50,000 earlier, but now it will cost about Tk 1 crore.
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