RAJSHAHI, Nov 15, 2018 (BSS) – Farmers of transplanted Aman in Rajshahi
were happy after pulling in a good yield coupled with fair price this season,
everywhere in the region including its vast Barind tract.
According to reports from different areas in the region, farmers were busy
harvesting in the final stages also creating employment opportunities for
many needy people.
Currently, a maund (37.33kg) of Aman paddy is being sold for Taka 640 to
Taka 710 at different markets in the district while the production cost of
each maund was Taka 420 to Taka 450, farmers said.
Agriculturists said growers sowed high quality Aman seeds like BINA-7, BR-
48, 49, 62, 71 and 72 and local early variety Basmati paddy while the DAE
officials provided farmers with training and necessary instructions to boost
production.
According to a source of Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE), the
target of Aman cultivation had been set to bring 6,90,141 hectares whereas
actually the paddy was cultivated on 7,37,903 hectares of land in Rajshahi
division.
Of those, 7.10 lakh hectares of land were brought under high yielding
varieties, 18,389 hectares under local varieties and 9,705 hectares under
hybrid varieties.
The DAE here has set a target of producing around 18.67-lakh tonnes of
transplanted Aman rice in the region including its vast Barind tract during
the current season.
Additional Director of DAE SM Mustafizur Rahman told BSS today that the
rice is expected to be produced from around 7.38-lakh hectares of land in the
districts of Rajshahi, Naogaon, Chapainawabganj, Natore, Pabna, Sirajgonj,
Bogura and Joypurhat.
Bangladesh Agricultural Department Corporation (BADC) and Barind
Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) supplied quality seed among the
growers to achieve a good yield.
This season the farmers were getting a fair price for their crop, which is
now being sold between Taka 700 to Taka 750 per mound, said Zakir Hossain, a
farmer of Chowbaria in Paba upazila.
“Good Aman harvest was expected this season everywhere in the region as
weather condition remained favourable, prices of fertiliser and other inputs
were relatively low while pest attacks did not affect the crop,” he said.
“I have harvested 18 to 20 maunds of HYV of Aman crop per bigha of land,
as weather was almost favourable this year,” said Abdur Rahim, a model farmer
from Bargachhi in Paba upazila.
NabiburRahman, 43, a farmer from Kachua in Tanore upazila, said, “I
cultivated high yielding flood tolerant Aman paddy on 68 decimal of land this
year and got 25-kg of paddy from each decimal. It was only 18- kg last year.”
“I received seed and technical support from the regional office of
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute to cultivate the variety. I will cultivate
it on more land next season,” he said.
“I have cultivated Aman on four acres (1.61 hectares) of land spending Taka
7,000-8,000 per acre and got 35-36 maunds of paddy from each acre. The new
paddy was selling at Taka 750 per maund and I hope to get a profit of
Taka30,000-32,000,” said Jahangir Alam, a farmer from Kaliganj in Manda
upazila.
Monjur-E-Mawla, Upazila Agriculture Officer of Paba, said favourable
weather conditions and timely rain aided in a bumper Aman yield this season
and its price was good as well.
“Now the farmers apply scientific methods for cultivation. They do not use
excessive fertiliser and insecticides on their croplands,” he said.