As the cold spell lingers on, farmers are in fear of incurring losses because their crops might be affected by the bitter cold.
Now, they are applying different tactics to protect their crops, specially Boro seedlings and potato.
“I keep my entire seedbeds covered with clothes or polythene at night and uncover these when the sun is visible,” said Animesh Barman, a farmer of Chutbathina village in Thakurgoan Sadar upazila.
He has prepared the seedbeds on five decimals of land.
“We will have to do it until the weather improves. If the cold spell lingers on, it will be difficult for us to protect the seedlings,” said Shahidul Islam, another farmer of Panditpara village of the same upazila.
“It will increase our production cost. We don’t know how we will meet our additional expenses,” he told The Daily Star.
Contacted, Aftab Ahmed, deputy director of the Department of Agricultural Extension in Thakurgaon, said they are giving advices and assistance to farmers for protecting their crops.
Meanwhile, yesterday’s lowest temperature in the country was recorded at 8.3 degrees Celsius at Tentulia in Panchagarh, says the Met Office.
“Mild cold wave is sweeping over the regions of Sreemangal, Tentulia, Rajarhat and Chuadanga,” read a weather bulletin.
“It may continue,” said the bulletin of Bangladesh Meteorological Department.
“Night and day temperature may remain nearly unchanged over the country,” it added.
The Met office forecast for 24 hours was released at 6:00pm yesterday.
“Weather may remain dry with temporary partly cloudy sky over the country. Moderate to thick fog may occur at places over the river basins of the country and light to moderate fog may occur elsewhere over the country during midnight to morning,” it added.
The bulletin forecast that the weather may see little change in the next 72 hours.
[Our Thakurgaon correspondent contributed to this report]
