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Hilli communities in Khagrachhari are celebrating a bumper harvest of jhum (shifting cultivation) rice this year. 

Favourable rainfall and ideal weather conditions have contributed to high yields and families are already harvesting golden rice paddies across the hills.

According to the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE), nearly 1,050 hectares of land in the district were cultivated through jhum by around 5,000 families during the 2024-25 financial year, an increase of 26 hectares compared to last year.

Last year, rice production reached 1,540 metric tons while the target has been set at 1,548 tonnes this year.

Md Abdullah Al Malek, scientific officer at the Khagrachhari Hill Agriculture Research Institute, said that modern jhum techniques were improving yields. With controlled use of fertilizers, farmers can now cultivate the same plot year after year. Researchers are emphasizing eco-friendly modern jhum practices to further boost productivity.

In addition to rice, farmers are growing a variety of crops, including sweet pumpkin, bitter pumpkin, bottle gourd, ridge gourd, cucumber, bitter gourd, eggplant, banana, corn, ginger, turmeric, chili, sesame, and other spices. 

High demand for these crops in local markets has allowed jhum farmers to fetch better prices. For example, cucumber is currently selling for Taka 25-30 per kilogram, higher than last year.

Farmers in the remote Naraichhari area of Babuchhara Union under Dighinala upazila said poor road connectivity prevents them from getting fair prices while the yields are good. Nevertheless, the successful harvest has brought joy to their families. 

Anantahin Chakma, headmaster of a local school, noted that this year’s yields of Gelong, Badey, and Rengui rice varieties have been particularly high.

Jhum farmers of Khagrachhari town Khagendra Tripura and Hari said, ‘From the very beginning, the weather was favorable. During Chaitra and Boishakh months, jhum bushes were dried under intense sunlight to clear the land. In Jaishtha and Ashar months, there was enough rainfall for rice and other seedlings to grow. Although there was a risk of landslides, major soil damage was avoided, allowing us to save our crops. That’s why this year’s jhum harvest has been excellent.’

Harvesting has already begun along Alutila and Dighinala roads. The Bangladesh Rice Research Institute has also planted new rice varieties, including BRRI-24, BRRI-26, and BRRI-27, on a trial basis in jhum fields.

Md Bashirul Alam, deputy director of the DAE, said that BRRI-24 and BRRI-27 performed best in demonstration plots and that jhum farmers would be included in government incentive programs in the future.

Local leaders noted for generations, indigenous communities have relied on jhum cultivation for their livelihoods. They explained that traditional jhum practices begin with selecting either owned or abandoned hill land and clearing dense forest. 

‘Between Falgun and Chaitra months, the cleared land is dried under the sun and then burned to enrich the soil with ash. With the first rains of Boishakh, rice seeds are sown, followed by various vegetables and medicinal crops. Throughout the cultivation period, family members work together from morning to evening, taking midday rest in temporary jhum huts built on the slopes,’ they added.

Despite some negative perceptions about jhum cultivation, indigenous communities across the hill region-representing nearly 14 different linguistic groups-have relied on this practice for generations as a primary source of livelihood. Crops produced through jhum are also known to be both nutritious and flavourful.

According to a 1988 article by Gautam Kumar Chakma, central leader of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Jana Sanghati Samiti and member of the Regional Council, nearly 1,00,000 families in the Chittagong Hill Tracts practice jhum farming. 

Among the five major ethnic groups in the region, 84.04 per cent of the Murung, 54.08 per cent of the Tripura, 42.3 per cent of the Marma, 22.07percent of the Chakma and 1.06 per cent of the Bengali populations engage in jhum cultivation, according to 2001 survey conducted by the NGO BRAC. 

Among these groups, the Chakma call it ‘jhum,’ the Tripura term it ‘chug,’ and the Marma refer to it as ‘ya’.