Forecast of untimely rain worries agriculturists in Bangladesh

The forecast of untimely rain next week, potentially followed by days of dense fog, has left agriculturists worried, particularly over the cultivation of crops such as potato, wheat, and mustard.Potato is cultivated widely in Bangladesh and is already mature in the field, agriculturists said, adding that heavy rain or dense fog could deal a severe blow to potato production.Bangladesh produces over 1 million tonnes of potato every year, and the harvest of the crop begins in February.‘Fog could trigger a late blight outbreak in potatoes,’ said Daud Hossain, chief scientific officer of the Bangladesh Agricultural Research Institute, pointing out that most potatoes are still in the field.Potato fields created for experiments on BARI premises have been infected by late blight, he said.Rain in January is not common. This January has been warmer than usual after a rather warm December, affecting the production of winter crops that require cold to thrive.Since the three-month-long winter ...