RAJSHAHI, Sept 20, 2019 (BSS) – Farming of transplanted Aman paddy has
exceeded the target of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) in
Rajshahi division due to favorable weather.
“The favorable weather condition along with frequent rainfall contributed a
lot towards successful completion of Aman seedlings transplantation on time
besides exceeding the target significantly,” Additional Director of DAE here
Deb Dulal Dhali here said Thursday.
He said the farmers had cultivated Aman paddy on around 7.73 lakh hectares
of land in eight districts this season against the DAE’s target of 7.24 lakh
hectares creating hope of additional production of Aman paddy.
Agriculturist Dhali said most of the farming fields now wore an eye-
catching look. Farmers are now busy in nursing of the transplanted tender
plants with hope of getting more yields side by side with its market price.
Farmer Shafiqul Islam of Maligachha village under Godagari Upazila told
BSS that most of the farmers of his area have completed seedling
transplantation on time as the frequent seasonal rainfall helps them a lot,
expecting bumper production this time.
“I have brought six bighas of land under aman paddy farming. Existing
rainfall has become helpful for the farming,” said Abu Bakkar, a farmer of
Bagdhani village under Paba Upazila. Mozammel Haque, another farmer of Kachua
village under Tanore Upazila, said the farmers hope better yield of Aman
paddy as the cultivation of Aman paddy requires less cost compared to other
crops.
“Timely transplantation of aman paddy seedlings is very important for
healthy growth leading to optimum yield in the area,” Dr Aminul Islam, Chief
Scientific Officer of Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI), here today
he said.
He said BRRI has developed seven modern paddy varieties for Aman season
creating high hope among the farmers in the region. The varieties like
Brridhan 56, Brridhan 66, Brridhan71, Brridhan75, Brridhan80, Brridhan87 and
Brridhan90 are comparatively high yielding, drought tolerant and takes short
time to get matured than local variety ‘Swarna’ which is prone to various
diseases, he continued.
Dr Islam said farmers have been encouraged to cultivate the latest
varieties through various interventions including block demonstration, plots
projection and supplying of seed free of cost. He also said the modern
varieties have opened up door in enormous prospects of food security along
with mitigating the crises of irrigation water.
Meanwhile, measures with initiative of both public and private sectors
were taken to ensure supplementary irrigation to the paddy fields from the
surface water resources if needed. “We have arrangements of providing
irrigation to more than 50,000 hectares of land in high Barind tract from
canal water,” said Engineer Abdur Rashid, Executive Director of Barind
Multipurpose Development Authority.
He said farmers face a great water crisis in panicle initiation and pre-
ripening stages of the farming that needs supplementary irrigation on an
urgent basis due to rain-less condition in almost every year.
Surface water resources were also enriched through excavating canal to
ensure supplementary irrigation to transplanted aman paddy, over 40,000
hectares of land in high barind tract, said Jahangir Alam Khan, Assistant
Coordinator of Integrated Water Resource Management project.