As boro paddy was damaged last year due to untimely floods in Bhangura upazila of Pabna including Chalanbil area, so farmers of these areas are busy harvesting crops this season. Farmers of low-lying areas are worried as the local Gumani River is already overflowing in iits upper reaches. So this time, besides the farmers, the school-college students of the lower middle class are also selling their labor.

Enamul Haque, Upazila Agriculture Officer, said that boro paddy was planted in 6,360 hectares of land in BhanguraUpazila this year. He said that despite the threat of floods, the students took to the field and harvested the paddy within a few days.

Kawsar Sheikh, a 4th year student of Government Edward College residing at Udhunia village in the upazila said they are spending time sitting at home in Lockdown, so they are cutting paddy with a contract of Tk 4 thousands to Tk 5thousands per bigha of land. Each person is earning about seven hundred taka in a day.

This was also said by Munjil Hossain and Yamin Hossain, residents of Kalkoti village and students of government Haji Jamal Uddin College. These children of the farmers are cutting the paddy and carrying the big harvest on their heads to the golden house of the season.

Bakul Hossain and Selim, two students of the same educational institution, said that more than a hundred of our friends are now cutting paddy and selling labor.” They also said that they did not have an Android / smart phone as they were children of poor families. That’s why they even couldn’t attend class online at this corona time. Besides, there was labor crisis, so they decided to cut the paddy and sell the labor.

The students also said that this season they will each earn at least 12/13 thousand taka. With which they will buy Android mobile phone so that it can be class online. Besides, they want to buy some clothes and books with this money. They think that this will reduce the pressure of low-income their parents.

Abdul Hye, a landlord farmer from Koira village in Khanmarich union and Alauddin, a landlord farmer from Magura village in Dilpashar union, said the entire paddy in the land was ripe but there was labor crisis. At that time, the college students are benefiting a lot as they cut the paddy in the contract.

#Chalonbileralo / Apon