RAJSHAHI, March 23, 2020 (BSS) – Farmers have started wheat harvesting in
full-swing amidst satisfactory yield everywhere in the region, including its
vast Barind tract.
The growers are delighted as they are getting good yield at the initial
stage of harvest this year. The plants have grown well due to favourable
weather conditions. They are also expecting fair price of their produce this
season.
Tasiqul Islam, 48, a farmer of Chandlai village under Godagari Upazila,
said he has cultivated wheat on12 bigha of land and started harvesting. He
said yield is good as sheaf of almost all of the plants is found satisfactory
this time than the previous seasons.
Islam is getting 12 to 15 mounds of yield from per bigha of land on an
average and selling those at Taka 1,100 to Taka 1,300 per mound in local
markets.
Abu Kalam, another farmer of Nandangachhi village under Charghat Upazila,
said he was very much optimistic about the wheat yield.
He said climate coupled with topographic condition was suitable for the
cash crop since initial stage of its farming.
Kalam said timely sowing of seeds accompanied by the cold spell, has been
considered as a positive sign for attaining a bumper production of the cash
crop.
He continued that many farmers are getting three to four mounds more wheat
from per bigha of land this season in comparison to the previous season.
Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has set a target of producing
around 5.19 lakh tonnes of wheat from around 1.46 lakh hectares of land
during the current season in all eight districts under Rajshahi division.
The DAE disbursed seeds and fertilizers worth around Taka 3.38 crore free
of cost among 17,000 poor and marginal farmers for wheat farming under the
government’s agricultural incentive programme in the division, said Deb Dulal
Dhali, Additional Director of DAE.
Various other government and non-government entities adopted diversified
steps to make farming a total success in the region as it is suitable for the
crop for its water-saving and drought tolerant features.
Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA), an ever-largest
irrigation providing state-run organization in the country’s northwest
region, has adopted an all-out measure to make the wheat farming a total
success.
Rajshahi Regional Office of Bangladesh Wheat and Maize Research Institute
(BWMRI) developed 320 demonstration plots on farmers’ fields.
320 farmers were given 5.5 tonnes of breeder seeds and 8.5 tonnes of seeds
of some high yielding, heat and drought tolerant and blast disease resistant
varieties like BARI Gom 28, 29, 30 and 33 along with recommended fertilizers
for the projection plots free of cost.
The farmers including 69 field-level DAE officials were imparted training
to produce wheat properly using the modern seeds and technologies.
Dr Ilias Hossain, Principal Scientific Officer of BWMRI, told BSS that the
BARI gom 33 is highest blast disease resistant variety, zinc-enriched, large
grain size and high yielding (20 maunds per bigha).