RANGPUR, Jan 3, 2019 (BSS) – The tender wheat plants are growing superbly amid favorable climatic conditions predicting better production despite shortfall in the farming target this season in Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources said, the farmers have brought 19,810 hectares of land under wheat cultivation against the fixed target of bringing 23,763 hectares of land under its farming in the region.
Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam Horticulture Specialist of DAE at its regional office here said a target of producing 78,478 tonnes of wheat from 23,763 hectares of land has been fixed for all five districts of the region during the current Rabi season.
“The fixed wheat farming target marked a shortfall by only 4,953 hectares of land this season following cultivation of maize and potato on more land by the farmers in the region,” he said.
However, the overall wheat production might be excellent as the farmers have mostly sowed high quality, disease resistant and stress tolerant varieties of wheat seed timely using the latest technologies after harvesting short duration Aman rice.
Talking to BSS, Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Md Moniruzzaman also predicted a better wheat production following use of the high yielding variety seed and conservation agriculture (CA)-based technologies this season.
Earlier, wheat production was being affected in the past due to adverse impacts of high temperature on its farming from flowering to ripening stages for late sowing of seed after harvesting late variety Aman, use of low quality local seed and other reasons.
“However, the farmers are getting bumper wheat production in recent years following expanded cultivation of the high yielding, stress-tolerant and high temperature- tolerant wheat varieties adopting the latest conservation technologies,” he added.
The farmers have mostly cultivated high yielding wheat varieties like ‘Bijoy’, ‘Pradip’, ‘Sotabdhi’, BARI Gom25, BARI Gom26, BARI Gom27, BARI Gom28, BARI Gom29 and BARI Gom29 this time to get yield rates between 3 and 3.7 tonnes per hectare.
Farmers Alif Uddin, Lokman Hossain and Bhola Nath of different villages in Rangpur said tender wheat plants are growing excellent on their farmlands amid favourable climate conditions predicting a bumper production of the crop this season.
Regional Additional Director of the DAE Md Shah Alam said necessary assistance were provided to the farmers for expanding cultivation of less irrigation water consuming cereal crops like wheat and maize in the region this season.