RANGPUR, Sept 29, 2019 (BSS) – Officials of the Department of Agricultural
Extension (DAE) and farmers are expecting a bumper output of Transplanted
Aman (T-Aman) rice crop as its tender plants are growing excellent in Rangpur
region.
The DAE officials said favorable weather conditions including frequent
rainfalls are considered as tonic for superb growth of the tender T-Aman rice
plants on vast tracts of crop lands predicting excellent production of the
crop.
The farmers have finally cultivated T-Aman rice on over 6.08-lakh hectares
of land, less by 4.18 percent or 26,552 hectares against the fixed farming
target on over 6.35-lakh hectares of land in the region.
“Despite a little shortfall in the farming target, an excellent T-Aman
rice output is expected this season,” said Md. Moniruzzaman Additional Deputy
Director of the DAE at its regional office.
Earlier, the DAE had fixed a target of bringing over 6.35-lakh hectares of
land under T-Aman rice cultivation to produce over 18.08-lakh tonnes of clean
rice (27.13-lakh tonnes of paddy) for the region this season.
Moniruzzaman said recent flood damaged T-Aman rice crop on 43.75 hectares
of land causing production loss of 126.53 tonnes of clean rice worth Taka 37-
lakh and standing T-Aman rice seedling on 5,216 hectares of land causing loss
of Taka 59.06 crore.
“To recoup the crop losses, the government has implemented massive agri-
rehabilitation programmes spending Taka 1.42 crore to assist flood-affected
farmers for making T-Aman rice farming programme successful this season,” he
said.
The DAE distributed T-Aman rice seedling prepared on 202 community seedbeds
spending Taka 80.90-lakh among 12,241 flood-affected farmers of Kurigram,
Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat free of costs for re-transplantation on their one
bigha of land each.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Mohammad
Ali told BSS that 12,241 flood-affected farmers of local communities got the
specially prepared T-Aman rice seedling on community seedbeds.
“Of them, 6,060 flood-affected farmers of Kurigram and Gaibandha each and
121 flood-affected farmers of Lalmonirhat received the specially prepared T-
Aman rice seedling on community seedbeds,” Ali said.
Some 1,251 more flood-affected farmers of these three districts got T-Aman
rice seedling prepared by other agriculture-related government organisations
under the Ministry of Agriculture.
The DAE and other agriculture-related organisations also prepared seedbeds
of late variety T-Aman rice on 20 hectares of land spending Taka 13.35-lakh
and distributed those among 1,181 flood-hit farmers for re-transplantation on
one bigha of land each.
In addition to this, the DAE distributed T-Aman rice seedling prepared on
280 floating seedbeds spending Taka 3.82-lakh among 70 flood-hit farmers for
re-transplantation on one bigha of land each.
“Despite a little shortfall in the fixed farming target, farmers have
cultivated T-Aman rice on over 6.06-lakh hectares of land this year against
6.03-lakh hectares of land or higher by 2,902 hectares of land than last
year,’ Ali added.
The farmers are now taking extensive care of their excellent growing
tender T-Aman rice plants to make the intensive T-Aman rice farming programme
successful.
Talking to BSS, a number of farmers of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram,
Nilphamari and Lalmonirhat districts in the region said their tender T-Aman
rice plants were growing superbly amid favourable climatic conditions.
Farmer Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar, Manik Mian of village Darshona
and Echhahaq Ali of village Kathihara in Rangpur said growing T-Aman rice
plants would not require supplementary irrigation following frequent seasonal
rainfalls.
They said the superbly growing tender T-Aman rice plants have created
greenish blankets on vast crop fields giving an eye-catching greenish look
all-around predicting a bumper production of the major cereal crop this
season.