RAJSHAHI, Oct 15, 2020 (BSS) – Despite facing the adverse impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and flood situation, the farmers have harvested around 7.42 lakh tonnes of Aush rice as its harvesting process recently ended in all eight districts under Rajshahi division.
The farmers produced the rice from 2.44 lakh hectares of land in the division. Standing aush paddy on 9,411 hectares of land was affected by the flood water in its couple of phases in the division, said officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE).
The DAE had set a target of producing around 7.49 lakh tonnes of Aush rice from 2.53 lakh hectares of land in the division.
But, the farmers cultivated the paddy on around 2.54 lakh hectares of land. Identically, the farmers have brought 1,739 hectares more land under the paddy farming compared to the target set by the DAE.
Sudhendra Nath Roy, Additional Director of DAE, Rajshahi, said the government has adopted diversified steps including incentives and technological support to promote aush rice farming.He said the agricultural incentives and other supports are very important towards boosting aush paddy production.
The government has provided incentives to 56,265 small and marginalized farming families to encourage them towards aush farming in the division. Each of them was given five kilograms of high yielding seeds, 20 kilograms of diammonium phosphate and ten kilograms of muriate of potash fertilizers.
Apart from this, another 10,900 farmers were given 54,500 kilograms of high yielding seeds to attain the aush production target. Each of the beneficiary farmers was given five kilograms seeds.
Meanwhile, the aush farmers are very much happy after getting bumper paddy yield besides its expected market price and availing the scopes of spot selling of the newly harvested paddy.
Proshen Ekka, 45, a farmer of Ganigram village under Godagari Upazila of Rajshahi district, harvested 18 mounds of paddy from his one bigha of land of Brridhan-82 and sold at Taka 950 per mound on an average.
Suresh Minji, 53, harvested 36 mounds from his two bighas of land of the same variety at the same area.
He said the BRRIdhan-48 has become an icon of boosting paddy production in the region including its vast Barind tract during the last couple of years and Brri Dhan 82 has started gaining popularity with equal yield.
By virtue of early harvesting characteristics, the variety supplements the farming of transplanted Aman and various Rabi crops like tomato, brinjal, mustard and vegetables as the region is conventionally famous for farming these crops abundantly.
On the other hand, aman paddy transplantation has exceeded the target in Rajshahi division despite the present adverse situation induced by both the Covid-19 pandemic and the flood creating scopes of producing additional yield of the food grain.
The DAE has set the target of producing around 22.19 lakh tonnes of aman rice from around 7.66 lakh hectares of land in all eight districts of the division during the current season.
But, amazingly, the enthusiastic farmers have brought more than 7.77 lakh hectares of land exceeding the target by 11,540 hectares braving the current pandemic and disastrous situations.
The target has been exceeded as the farmers are seen humming towards more paddy farming side by side with suitable climate conditions with frequent rainfall.
Particularly, the farmers are now very much pleased with the present lucrative market price for the latest harvested Aush and Boro paddy and rice in the entire region including its vast Barind tract.
After getting the profitable price of their paddy they are seen bustling with farming of transplanted aman paddy with more attention.