RANGPUR, April 2, 2019 (BSS) – The government has provided irrigation
facilities to over 8.51 lakh hectares of land for cultivation of different
crops in Rangpur agriculture region to increase food output during this Rabi
season.
“Using irrigation facilities, farmers have cultivated Boro rice on 5.40
lakh hectares of land and other Rabi crops like wheat, potato, maize, mustard
and vegetables on 3.11 lakh hectares of land,” said Horticulture Specialist
of DAE at its regional office Khondker Md. Mesbahul Islam.
Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC), Barind
Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), Teesta Barrage Project (TBP) of
Water Development Board (WDB), Rural Electrification Board (REB) and Northern
Electricity Supply Company Limited (NESCO) are comprehensively providing
irrigation facilities.
“The farmers are irrigating crop fields on 8.51 lakh hectares of land
using over 2.37 lakh irrigation pumps including 2,810 deep tube wells (DTWs),
two lakh 33 thousand 415 shallow tube wells (STWs), 570 low lift pumps (LLPs)
and 512 other irrigation pumps,” Islam said.
Of them, electricity-run 2,747 DTWs, 71,452 STWs and 29 LLPs, diesel-run
33 DTWs, 1,61,868 STWs and 526 LLPs, solar power-run 30 DTWs, 99 STWs and 15
LLPs and 512 other irrigation pumps are irrigating croplands.
REB’s Superintending Engineer at Rangpur Zonal Office Manabendra Lal
Mustafi said farmers are getting irrigation facilities from 48,044 irrigation
pumps being run with electricity being supplied by REB in Rangpur agriculture
region.
“The farmers are getting bills at only Taka 3.82 per unit for using
electricity being provided by Palli Bidyut Samities (PBS) of REB to operate
irrigation pumps for irrigation to enhance food production at reduced costs,”
he added.
Executive Engineer of BMDA Md. Nur Islam said BMDA has put 950 DTWs and
eight LLPs in operation to provide irrigation facilities to 29,096 hectares
of land during this Rabi season in Nilphamari and Rangpur districts under
Rangpur zone alone.
The BMDA is providing irrigation to 19,633 hectares of land for farming
Boro rice, 470 hectares for wheat, 4,830 hectares for potato, 1,748 hectares
for maize, 385 hectares for mustard and 2,030 hectares for other crops.
“The farmers are getting irrigation facilities at Taka 110 as surcharge
for per hour using digitised prepaid cards from DTWs being managed BMDA in
these two districts like other three districts of Rangpur agriculture
region,” Nur added.
Principal Extension Officer of WDB here Agriculturist Md. Abdul Hakim
said the TBP is providing irrigation to 30,500 hectares of land for Boro rice
cultivation in Rangpur and Nilphamari districts under Rangpur agriculture
region this season.
“The farmers are paying Taka 480 per acre of land for cultivation of
Boro rice and other crops round the year,” Hakim said adding that the TBP is
also providing irrigation to 10,000 hectares of land for Boro rice
cultivation in nearby Dinajpur district.
Assistant Engineer of BADC Shahe Amin said the organisation is providing
irrigation facilities to 10,000 hectares of land with their 230 DTWs, 22 STWs
and 13 LLPs through the farmers’ groups on rental basis in Rangpur district
alone this season.
Talking to BSS, farmers Ahadul Islam and Afzal Hossain of village
Tahirpur in Mithapukur upazila said they are cultivating Boro rice in one
acre of sandy-loamy land each using irrigation water being supplied from DTW
by BMDA.
“We are spending about Taka 2,100 per acre of land for cultivation of
Boro rice while irrigation cost is much lower for cultivation of potato,
vegetables, maize, aus rice and other crops using irrigation water of
electricity-run DTW,” Islam added.
Farmer Ariful Haque Batul of village Najirdigar in Rangpur said he is
cultivating Boro rice and other crops in his 3.50 acres of land using own
electricity-run irrigation pump.
Batul expects to spend Taka 3,000 per acre of his sandy land for
cultivating Boro rice using his irrigation pump being run with the
electricity getting from Rangpur PBS-1 of REB.
“Food production is consistently increasing at reduced costs to ensure
food security with expansion of irrigation areas in last ten years making
farm activities more profitable,” said Deputy Director of the DAE at its
regional office Md, Moniruzzaman.