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Farming: Then and now
We have interviewed three elderly farmers from Pabna, Rajshahi and Rangpur districts.
They have shared their experience of how farming evolved through the decades.
Manipulation leads to loss for farmers
Rafique Sarker
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Photo: S Hasan/Driknews |
A big landlord Tozammel Hoque Mondol is a witness to changes in agriculture for about 50 years. The ways of development in agriculture are still vivid in his memories.
He closely observed the changing of cropping pattern, coming up of new technologies and replacement of traditional farming with intensive cropping system.
About development in agriculture sector he said, "Simply superb! Thanks to Allah to endow me with a long life to increase my wealth and properties through and by agriculture."
He lives at Joyram Anwar village of Payerabond union under Mithapukur upazila. He is now 78-years -old. He has about 110 bighas of land of his own. Though old, he never spends a single moment in vain. Still everyday he goes to his land to supervise farming activities in his land, deals with the daylabourers, and ascertains what to do to protect crops in case of natural calamities.
Tozmmel said, "I have been engaged with agriculture farming after passing I.S.C (H.S.C) in 1957 from Rangpur Carmichael College."
"I could have gone for any service, available with different government departments after 1957. I didn't do it because my parents didn't allow me to go for it as I was the only son of them. They did not want me to go outside with any occupation. They persuaded me to do agriculture farming at the village." he added.
According to him, before eighties farmers used to cultivate crops twice a year. They used to cultivate mainly Aman in rainy season and Aous rice in dry season. Production rate of the rice was so low that the marginal and small farmers had to sell their land for money to manage their food round the year.
Even whenever they needed money they had no other option except selling of land. Thus, the small and marginal farmers of the area became landless and turned day labourers. Only the big landlords of the area survived.
Things have changed gradually in entire Mithapukur upazila with the introducing of intense process of cultivation. After eighties cultivation of Boro rice began. The farmers, mainly small and marginal, had to sell their land to buy food for their family members.
He said, "About 85 maunds of Boro rice is produced per acre now. Whereas farmers could get only 12 maund of Aous rice from the same land some twenty years ago."
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Photo: Amirul Rajiv |
Q: Why did farmers stop cultivating jute a few years back?
Tozammel: Jute was once a profitable cash crop of Rangpur region. Besides Aous, farmers used to cultivate jute in their land. After eighties demand of jute in the world market diminished. Government owned domestic jute mills shut down one after another. Jute price fell down. Farmers incurred huge loss. Thus they lost interest to cultivate it.
Interestingly farmers of the district again are going for cultivating jute as they got fair price of the crop in the last two years.
Q: What changes do you observe in cultivation of Aman rice in your areas?
Tozammel: Farmers got highest twenty five to thirty mounds of yield of Aman rice per acre before eighties. They used to cultivate Binipakri, malshira, najirshail, khirshavog in those years during Aman season. They didn't know the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
After eighties scientists developed different kinds of varieties of Aman rice. Of these varieties BR-11, a high yielding one is popular in the district. All farmers became trained up to use chemical fertilizers for high yield and pesticides for pest management. They get 45 to 48 mounds of Aman rice per acre now.
Q: What is the prospect of potato cultivation in your area? How does it help farmers financially?
Tozammel: Farmers never thought of cultivation of any third crop in between Aman and Aous even some twenty years ago. Potato has now been established as third crop and it is being cultivated in between Aman and Boro season. Forty percent farmers of the district cultivate potato using scientific method. Twenty percent cultivate jute and forty percent lend their lands to others mostly unemployed youths for potato farming.
Potato farming has made many of the farmers rich. Hundreds of unemployed educated people borrowed land of others on payment for three months and cultivated potato using intensive methods. By cultivating it many of them have become moneyed men.
Q: How can you detect that agricultural farming has changed financial status of the people of your area ?
Citing houses at Jaoyram village Tozammel said: These houses used to be thatched but now 65 percent of these are made up with corrugated sheet and thirty percent are made up of brick. Owners of the houses are farmers. They grow crops round the year. Thus, they have changed their lots.
This was possible only because yield rate of potato became high due to introduction of intensive process. Construction of 39 cold storages in Rangpur added value to potato.
Q: How do you evaluate the service providers' performances in agriculture sector?
Tozammel: To me private agro companies have taken lead in giving services to the farmers. Marketing of hybrid seeds of different crops, pesticides, machineries like shallow tube-wells, deep tube-wells, tractors, power tillers etc by different private companies has created opportunities of high rate of production of crops for the farmers. Private agro companies are more prompt in service delivery than government agricultural departments. It is because of the competition between different companies in the markets.
Manipulation of some agro-companies sometimes leads the farmers to gross loss.While buying sub-standard and carry over seeds, fertilizers and pesticides of different agro-companies many of the farmers are often deceived.
Field level employees and officials of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) some ten years ago were not seen so frequently as they are seen now-a- days. Of course it's a great change. Whenever the farmers call them in time of calamities, they respond.
Q: Do you think that uses of machineries decrease the labour opportunities in agriculture sector?
Tozammel: The day labourers are passing busy hours at the villages. You'll find none in villages without work for a single day. Even their wages have increased. A day labourer at the village earns at least Tk. 150 a day with lunch. Whereas it was Tk.50 some ten years back.
I apprehend that after ten to fifteen years farmers will face tough situation to get day labourers for agricutltural activities.
Q: Why do you apprehend it?
Tozammel: About cent percent village children whose parents are agricultural day labourers are school going. If they can continue study, they won't be involved with agricultural activities. They might choose other profession rather than selling labour in agricultural fields.
The writer is Rangpur Correspondent, The Daily Star