Huge swathes of Sylhet fallow land to come under farming

Infograph: TBS

With the aim of boosting agricultural production in the Sylhet region, the agriculture ministry has undertaken a project to bring 71,271 hectares of fallow land under cultivation.

The project, to the tune of Tk200 crore, in this regard will be presented at the meeting of The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) today.

Some 60 kilometres from Sylhet towards Jaflong, miles after miles of land at Kanaighat, Gowainghat and Jaintapur areas are usually under water during the monsoon, while in the dry season the vast stretch is full of grass and wild plants.   

Due to reasons such as a shortage of labour and lack of irrigation facilities, this area remained out of cultivation. Other than this, the overall agricultural production in the Sylhet region is comparatively low as most land falls within haor and hilly areas.

The proposed plan, which the agriculture ministry has forwarded to the Planning Commission, includes subsidy in farming equipment aimed at reducing dependence on workers and introduction of high-yielding paddy varieties. The plan also includes training for farmers on cultivation of vegetables, spices and oil seeds. 

Once the project gets a nod from the Ecnec the Department of Agriculture Extension plans to implement it by 2026.

In the project proposal, the Ministry of Agriculture states that most of the areas in the four districts of Sylhet division are prone to various natural calamities, including floods, droughts and excessive rainfall. The development of agriculture in this area has not been as expected as the prevalence of modern agriculture is less in greater Sylhet than in other regions.

It further states that Sylhet and Moulvibazar districts are ringed by medium-sized hills. On the other hand, Sunamganj and Habiganj districts are mostly lowlands. Although crop intensity is relatively high in Sylhet and Moulvibazar, most parts of Sunamganj are haor regions.

According to ministry officials, due to inadequate irrigation facilities, shortage of labour and heavy rainfall, most of the lands in the region remain uncultivated in different seasons, especially in the "Robi" season. As a result, the crop intensity of this region is less than the national standard.

Under the project, a total of 2,45,340 farmers will receive one-day training, while 2,850 sub-assistant agriculture officers and 360 agriculture officers will receive special training.

Besides, exhibitions will be arranged to showcase 47,979 varieties of various crops, technologies and 40 poly-shade houses. The ministry will also distribute 500 low lift pumps, 3554 sprayers, 1000 power sprayers and 1777 maize threshing machines among farmers.

Md Benazir Alam, director general of the Department of Agricultural Extension, said that with the cultivation of high yielding varieties, proper technology, proper soil management and agricultural mechanisation, one-crop land can be converted into two-crop lands, two crops into three crops and three-crop lands into multiple crop lands. 

"The core idea of the project is to increase crop production in the region," he said.

The project proposal states that the use of modern technology and crop diversification through using fallow land in the Sylhet region will increase agricultural production, increase farmer income and employment.

The project aims to increase agricultural productivity in the Sylhet region by 10%. In addition to the inclusion of 71,272 hectares of fallow land in cultivation, the average yield difference in Sylhet region with other areas will be brought down by 5%.