RAJSHAHI, April 11, 2019 (BSS)- Farmers have cultivated boro paddy on
around 8.30 lakh hectares of land exceeding the target set by Department of
Agriculture Extension (DAE) in eight districts under Rajshahi division during
the current season.
“We had fixed the target of bringing around 8.11 lakh hectares of land
under the paddy farming but the growers cultivated the same on 8.30 lakh
hectares creating scopes of producing 33.93 lakh tonnes of rice in the
division,” said Dev Dulal Dhali, Additional Director of DAE, while talking to
BSS here today.
He says the farmers attained the success of exceeding the paddy farming
target after taking advantages of all existing opportunities like suitable
climatic condition and supports provided by DAE and Bangladesh Rice Research
Institute (BRRI).
Agriculturist Dhali said the prevailing suitable weather has made the paddy
farmers optimistic of getting good yield of boro paddy in the region
including its vast Barind tract.
Currently, farmers are passing their busy days in nursing the growing
plants everywhere in the region with the hope of expected yield. Most of the
farming areas have become green with breakthrough of farmers relentless
efforts and favourable climatic condition.
Dulal Dhali said steps have been taken to ensure smooth Boro rice
cultivation this season. The farming is going on in full swing across the
region.
Talking to BSS Nurul Amin Siddiqui, 48, a farmer of Karnahar village under
Paba Upazila, said he has cultivated paddy on three bighas of land.
The paddy fields which were brought under advanced varieties are now
booting and flowering stages at present. He is hoping of good yield as the
weather remains, so far, favourable.
Siddiqui says paddy farming area has been enhanced this year due to good
condition of present paddy market.
“We have transplanted seedlings successfully. Now, the plants are now
growing well,” said Siraj Uddin Khan, 45, another farmer of Belghoria village
under Tanore Upazila.
He added that the advanced varieties are likely to be harvested within next
fifteen to twenty days.
“I have cultivated Boro on eight bighas of land this season”, said Lokman
Hossain, a farmer in Mohadebpur upazila.”
President of Water Management Association of Paba Nurul Amin said, “The
farmers of my area are now busy in Boro cultivation. I have cultivated Boro
on six bighas of land when it was only three-bigha in last year.
“We have promoted more than 10 high yielding varieties in the farming
fields to boost the paddy production,” said Dr Aminul Islam, Chief Scientific
Officer of BRRI.
Modern farming technologies and knowledge are being disseminated among the
farmers through various programmes including 32 field demonstrations side by
side with bringing 360 farmers under need-based training to attain the
cherished goal of boosting rice production through protecting the crop from
any disease infestation, he added.
Abdullah Heel Kafi, regional agriculture information officer, said the DAE
and other agriculture-related organisations, Power Development Board and
Rural Electrification Board are ensuring smooth supply of seed, fertilizers
and electricity to the farmers to ensure smooth Boro paddy cultivation.
Kafi says the farmers have started adopting conservation agriculture
technologies in farming Boro paddy to increase its output reducing lifting of
underground water, saving electricity and improving environment.
He said the farmers were imparted training on how to adopt conservation
agriculture technologies like Alternate Drying and Wetting irrigation method
at a larger scale then farming of Boro paddy to save irrigation for
increasing its output at reduced costs.
The marginal farmers were provided necessary fertilizers like Di-ammonium
Phosphate (DAP) and Murat of Potash (MoP) as incentives to facilitate smooth
Boro paddy farming.
The DAE has distributed some 20-kg seeds of Boro rice, 20-kg DAP and 10-kg
MoP fertilisers free of cost to each farmer.
“We are extending irrigation to the paddy fields everywhere in the region,”
said Engineer Abdur Rashid, Executive Director of Barind Multipurpose
Development Authority (BMDA), ever-largest irrigation providing state-owned
entity in country’s northwest region.