Harvesting of boro paddy has begun early in Sylhet's haor region, including Hakaluki and Kawadighi haor areas, as farmers rush to avoid possible losses due to inclement weather.

Hailstorms, a recurring event towards the end of the Bangla month of Chaitra, often disrupt the harvest process and damage crops. Fearing a repeat of such events, farmers are opting for an early harvest to ensure minimal disruption.

Despite the concerns, growers remain hopeful for a profitable season following favourable weather conditions. Many are looking forward to repaying their loans taken from local lenders.

According to Bimal Chandra Shome, additional director of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in Sylhet division, boro paddy was cultivated on 4,97,219 hectares of land across Sunamganj, Moulvibazar, Sylhet, and Habiganj districts this year.

In Moulvibazar alone, 62,140 hectares were cultivated with a production target of 2.48 lakh tonnes. The early variety BRRI-92 is currently being harvested on 350 hectares of cropland in the district.

During a recent visit to the haor belt from Alinagar and Parkandi to Jabda and Futbeel in Moulvibazar, this correspondent witnessed golden paddy swaying in the breeze as hundreds of farmers gathered to reap their harvest. In Hakaluki haor, harvesting began four days ago.

Md Jalal Uddin, deputy director of DAE in Moulvibazar, said, "So far the paddy has been harvested from 350 hectares of land."

Shajidur Rahman, a sharecropper from Alinagar, said he expects to harvest around 50 maunds of rice from his one-acre plot. "I fear hailstorm might make it difficult to harvest paddy later, so I have begun early," he said.

Farmer Mofizur Islam was seen piling up his harvested paddy on the roadside. "We are happy that the paddy production is good as the weather was favourable this time," he said.