4. An assessment on mechanization of rice production in Nabiganj, Sylhet

Abstract

The study aimed to assess rice producers' modern agricultural machinery and develop statistical information about available farm machinery. The study was undertaken in Nabiganj Upazila, Sylhet, Bangladesh, to determine the current status of mechanization for rice production in terms of tillage practices, weeding, insect control practices, irrigation management system, harvesting, and post-harvesting drying and storage facilities. The mechanization of land preparation, irrigation, and threshing was nearly complete. According to the study, agriculture employed 63.31% of farmers, with the rest working in other industries. Power tiller, tractor, and draught animal are used to cultivate 64.32 percent, 29.73 %, and 5.95 % of the total projected land respectively. Shallow water pumps cover 97.31 % of complete irrigation due to surface irrigation water sources such as ponds and rivers are near the field. A thresher and combine harvester are used to mechanize the threshing process. According to the survey, the transplanting, harvesting, winnowing, and drying activities are not yet mechanized. Farmers still used the sun to dry their harvests. 100% of farmers use local labor for field preparation and weeding. The majority of farmers rely on migrant labor from Bangladesh's northern districts. As a result, Farmer’s desire the most up-to-date machineries like a transplanter, harvester, and thresher. So, the government should formulate effective plan by evaluating the current state of mechanization and increasing the use of machinery equipment