Neck blast hits paddy grains in Kurigram

Kulrigram Correspondent: Fungal disease neck blast has turned into an epidemic in different areas of the district, hindering Boro production during the harvesting season.

The fungal attack has spread all over the areas of several upazilas, according to the farmers affected by the infection.

Hundreds of farmers in the upazilas are worried of losing their crops as well as the production.

Agriculture department says, this situation has been created due to weather conditions. Department of Agriculture is regularly counseling the farmers through meetings in the field level, but it does not work.

Now the agriculture officials are suggesting them (farmers) to cultivate BRI-58 rice variety in spite of BRI-28 in future.

The worst affected areas are Jatrapur, Pachgachhi, Ghogadah, Bhogdanga of the sadar upazila while Bajra, Tabokpur and Gunaigach of Ulipur upazila.

Abdur Rashid, acting deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Kurigram, confirmed the news.

He said, “It might be happened due to variations in weather and daytime temperatures.”

risingbd/Kurigram/April 27, 2018/Badshah Saikat/A K Azad