RAJSHAHI, Oct 31, 2020 (BSS) – The farmers are bustling with preparations for harvesting transplanted aman paddy (T-aman), creating a high hope of good yield everywhere in the region including its vast Barind tract, making the peasants delighted.
Suitable climate conditions along with frequent rainfall during all the time of farming season unleashed the hope of getting desired production of T-aman paddy, concerned people said.
“We are ready to harvest the golden grain crop as it will start within the next couple of weeks in full-swing,” said Abdus Samad, a farmer of Rajabari village in Godagari Upazila.
He has cultivated the paddy on five bighas of land and hoped of good yield though some of its farming fields were damaged.
He also said many of the farmers have already started harvesting the advanced varieties of T-aman paddy while they get good yield.
Another farmer Abdullah Al Mamun said he brought seven and a half bigha of land under the paddy farming and expected of good yield. After getting good yield and fair price of boro paddy, he cultivated aman paddy on more land this time, he added.
Nurul Islam has cultivated Aman paddy on five bighas of land. He said many of his co-villagers are seen humming with paddy farming as they got good price of Aush and Boro paddy.
Ashraful Islam, 37, of Gollapara village under Tanore upazila, said he has cultivated the paddy on six bighas of land after the best uses of rainfall that saved him from extra cost for irrigation.
Farmer Zaidur Rahman of Karnahar village under Paba upazila said the farmers hoped of better yield of Aman paddy as its cultivation requires less cost compared to other crops.
He added that they had not faced any problem in plantation of T-Aman seedlings as they experienced sufficient seasonal rainfall.
Meanwhile, aman paddy transplantation has exceeded the target in Rajshahi division despite the adverse impacts of both the Covid-19 pandemic and the flood, creating scopes of producing additional yield of the food grain.
The Department of Agriculture Extension (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 under 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.
According to the farmers and the DAE sources, the target has been exceeded as the farmers are seen humming towards more paddy farming amid 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.
Sudhendra Nath Roy, additional director of the DAE, said suitable weather is helping the farmers’ nurse transplanted Aman paddy and most of the farming fields have become grain-filled at present creating an eye-catching look everywhere in the region.
Bangladesh Rice Research Institute (BRRI) has released seven modern paddy varieties of the Aman paddy for the welfare of common farmers in the region particularly in its vast Barind tract, said Dr Fazlul Islam, principal scientific officer of BRRI.
The varieties are comparatively high yielding, drought tolerant and short duration than local variety ‘Swarna’ which is prone to various diseases and insects always affect the paddy.
Dr Islam said farmers have been encouraged to cultivate the latest varieties through various interventions including block demonstration, plots projection and supplying of seed free of cost.
He also said the modern varieties have opened up doors in enormous prospects of food security along with mitigating the crises of irrigation water.
Dr Islam also mentioned that Parija and Swarna varieties are being replaced by some of the developed varieties that can boost the Aman output.