RANGPUR, July 23, 2020 (BSS) – The farmers are planting seedlings of Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) rice with huge enthusiasm amid frequent rainfalls in all five districts of Rangpur agriculture region.
The Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) has engaged frantic efforts and taken special steps to make the intensive T-Aman rice cultivation programme successful despite a prevailing flood situation in the region.
Officials of the DAE said a target of producing 16.97 lakh tonnes of clean Transplanted Aman (T-Aman) rice (25.46 lakh tonnes of paddy) has been fixed from 6.05 lakh hectares of land for Rangpur agriculture region this season.
The farmers have already transplanted seedlings of Aman rice on 72,152 hectares of land, 11.92 percent of the total targeted land area for cultivation of the crop in the region.
The DAE, Bangladesh Rice Research Institute, Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation and Barind Multipurpose Development Authorities have taken steps in the pretext of current flood to make the T-Aman rice cultivation programme a success.
Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Muhammad Ali said farmers have prepared T-Aman seedbeds on 33,626 hectares of land, higher by 3,235 hectares against the requirement of preparing the same on 33,391 hectares of land in the region.
The DAE has taken preparations to prepare additional T-Aman rice seedbeds to meet emergency situations and assist flood-affected farmers in re-transplanting seedlings on their submerged croplands after recession of floodwaters.
“There is enough time till August for transplantation and re-transplantation of T-Aman rice seedlings after recession of floodwaters from affected areas,” Ali said.
The floodwaters submerged standing crops on 11,939 hectares of land, including T-Aman rice on 719 hectares and seedbeds on 1,209 hectares, in 19 upazilas in the agriculture region during this current second phase of the seasonal flood.
“Earlier, standing crops on 8,612 hectares of submerged land, including Aman rice seedbeds on 415 hectares, were damaged by the first phase of the flood this season in the region,” Ali said.
The DAE will prepare community seedbeds in the flood-affected areas from where farmers would get Aman rice seedling locally at their own areas for re-transplantation on their flood-affected croplands.
“The flood-affected farmers also have late ‘Ganjia’ variety of Aman rice seed in their hands and they will prepare seedbeds in Kurigram, Gaibandha and other affected areas in the region, if needed,” Ali added.
Talking to BSS, farmers Jahangir Alam of Goddimari area in Hatibandha upazila and Joynal Abedin, Rahamat Ali and Obaidur Rahman of Rajpur area in Sadar upazila of Lalmonirhat said the flood has damaged their growing Aman rice seedlings.
Farmers Hashem Ali and Abu Shams of Prodhanipara village and Fazlul Haque of Nayekerhat village of Nageshwari upazila in Kurigram said the flood damaged growing Aman rice seedlings and other crops on their lands.
They said the field level DAE officials were suggesting flood-hit farmers for preparing Aman rice seedbeds anew for re-transplantation of seedlings on their submerged croplands after recession of floodwaters.
Farmers Ariful Haque of village Najirdigar and Manik Miah of village Darshona in Rangpur said they have already transplanted Aman rice seedlings on three acres of land each and are continuing the process on the rest two acres of land each.