Record 9.23-lakh tonnes maize produced in Rangpur region

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RANGPUR, June 26, 2019 (BSS) – The farmers have produced a record quantity of over 9.23-lakh tonnes of maize exceeding the fixed production target by 21.76 percent during the just-ended Rabi season in Rangpur agriculture region.

Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) here said farmers already completed harvest of maize and produced over 9.23-lakh tonnes of the crop against the fixed production target of producing over 7.58-lakh tonnes.

“The achieved maize output is higher by 1.65-lakh tonnes than the fixed production target,” Horticulture Specialist of the DAE at its regional office Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam told BSS today.

The DAE had fixed a target of producing 7.58-lakh tonnes of maize from
83,192 hectares of land in Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Nilphamari and
Lalmonirhat districts of Rangpur agriculture region during the Rabi season.

“The farmers, however, cultivated maize on 92,445 hectares of land,
higher by 9,253 hectares or 11.12 percent higher than the fixed farming
target,” Islam said.

Expressing satisfaction over super bumper production of maize during the
last Rabi season, Additional Director of DAE for Rangpur region Muhammad Ali
said maize farming is expanding in recent years bringing self-reliance to
many farmers.

“Like farmers in the mainland, char people are increasing maize
cultivation on sandy char lands and dried-up riverbeds after getting repeated
bumper production with lucrative price in recent years,” he said.

The government is extending assistance, incentives and trainings to
farmers putting emphasis on expanding cultivation of lees irrigation water
consuming cereal crops like maize that helps farmers to improve their
livelihoods and cut poverty.

“During the just-ended Rabi season, the government distributed seed and
fertilisers as cost-free incentives to 1,650 small and marginal farmers of
Rangpur region to assist them in cultivating maize on two bigha of lands each
for boosting output,” Ali said.

Getting various assistance and technical supports from the government
along with repeated bumper output and better profits, farmers are expanding
maize cultivation every year both on the mainland an char areas, he added.

Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS
Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid predicted enormous potentialities to
increase maize output by bringing huge abandoned char lands in riverine areas
of the region.

“Maize farming has been proved to be more profitable than other crops
encouraging farmers to increase its cultivation using latest conservation
agriculture technologies like strip tillage to get better output at reduced
costs,” Rashid said.

He appreciated various initiatives taken by the present government to
further boost production of the low-irrigation water consuming cereal crops
like maize having huge demand in local markets to ensure food security.

Marginal farmers Moksed Ali, Azgar Ali, Aminul Islam and Ameer Hamza of
char village Char Goytapara in Rajibpur upazila of Kurigram said they got
government incentives and cultivated maize on two bighas of land each.

They expressed satisfaction over bumper maize production and better
market price between Taka 600 and 650 per mound (every 40 kilogram) after
harvesting their crop during the just-ended Rabi season.

Similarly, farmers Nurul Haque, Aminul Islam, Tofazzal Hossain, Abdul
Karim and Mahfil Hossain of different villages under Sadar upazila in Rangpur
said they sold their harvested maize at rates between Taka 600 and 650 per
mound.