Bumper output likely as Aman rice harvest gets momentum

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RANGPUR, Nov 09, 2019 (BSS) – The farmers are expecting a bumper output of Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) rice as its harvest gets full momentum with excellent yield rate in Rangpur agriculture region this season.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers have already harvested Aman rice from 45,000 hectares of land out of total cultivated land area of 6.08-lakh hectares till Friday.

The farmers have so far produced 1.47-lakh tonnes of T-Aman crop in terms of clean rice with an achieved yield rate of 3.27 tonnes of clean rice per hectare.

The farmers have finally cultivated T-Aman on 6.08-lakh hectares of land, less by 4.18 percent or 26,552 hectares against the fixed farming target on 6.35-lakh hectares of land in the region.

However, the cultivated land area of T-Aman on 6.08-lakh hectares of land this time is higher by 4,902 heaters than the cultivated land area of 6.03-lakh hectares of land last year.

Despite a little shortfall in the farming target due to floods, frequent recent rainfalls worked as tonic for super growth of T-Aman rice plants on vast tracts of crop lands predicting excellent production of the crop this season.

Additional Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional office Agriculturist Md. Moniruzzaman said a target of producing 18.08-lakh tonnes of clean T-Aman rice (27.13-lakh tonnes of paddy) has been fixed from 6.35-lakh hectares of land for the region this season. “The recent flood damaged T-Aman rice crop on 43.75 hectares of land and standing T-Aman rice seedling on 5,216 hectares of land causing loss of Taka 59.43 crore to farmers of the region this season,” he said.

To recoup crop losses, the government has implemented massive agri-rehabilitation programs spending Taka 1.42 crore assisting 14,743 flood-hit farmers of Kurigram, Gaibandha and Lalmonirhat to make Aman rice farming program successful this season.

Talking to BSS today, bigger farmer Ariful Haque Batul of village Najirdigar in Rangpur said he has cultivated T-Aman rice on seven acres of land and completed harvesting short duration T-Aman rice crop on one acre of land.

“After harvesting short duration varieties of T-Aman rice like BRRI dhan12 and BRRI dhan51 and BRRI dhan52 on one acre of land, I have got excellent yield rate of the crop and completed sowing of potato seed on the same land,” Batul said

Batul expects to begin harvesting other varieties of T-Aman rice on his six acres of land after two weeks from now with a hope to get a bumper out of the major cereal crop this year.

Farmers Manik Mian and Nuruzzaman of the same village said they have cultivated T-Aman rice on seven acres and one acre of land respectively and already completed harvesting of the early varieties of the crop and got excellent yield arte.

Similarly, farmers Akmal Hossain, Motahar Ali, Karim Uddin and Abdul Hye of different villages in Badarganj, Taraganj and Sadar upazilas of Rangpur said that they got excellent yield rate of their just harvested short duration T-Aman rice varieties.

Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Muhammad Ali said farmers are hopeful to achieve a bumper production of T-Aman rice this season as its harvest continues amid favourable climatic conditions with excellent yield rate.

“After completing harvest of the short duration varieties of T-Aman rice, farmers are sowing seeds of early variety potato, winter vegetables and other Rabi crops now on the same land,” he said.

Meanwhile, harvest of T-Aman rice as well as cultivation of subsequent Rabi crops on the same land has created huge jobs for hundreds of farm-labourers now helping them to overcome the seasonal lean period this year in Rangpur agriculture region.