Farmers eyeing bumper pulse production in Rangpur region

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RANGPUR, April 11, 2021 (BSS) – Farmers are expecting a bumper production of different varieties of pulses as the harvesting process continues in full swing in Rangpur agriculture region during this Rabi season.

Officials of the Department of Agricultural Extension (DAE) said farmers exceeded the fixed farming target of pulses by 125 percent despite cultivation of maize, chili and vegetables on more land in the region.

“The DAE had fixed a target of producing 2,522 tonnes of pulses from 1,938 hectares of land in all five districts of the region this season,” Additional Director of the DAE for Rangpur region Agriculturist Khandker Abdul Wahed, told BSS today.

Farmers finally brought 4,358 hectares of land under pulse cultivation, higher by 2,420 hectares or 125 percent against the fixed farming target.

The fixed target included production of 1,331 tonnes of lentil from 1,040 hectares of land, 775 tonnes of grass pea from 555 hectares, 97 tonnes of ‘Arhar’ from 77 hectares, 47 tonnes of black gram from 40 hectares, 241 tonnes mungbean from 205 hectares and 31 tonnes of cowpea from 21 hectares of land.

“However, farmers have finally cultivated lentil on 1,967 hectares of land, grass pea on 2,069 hectares, ‘Arhar’ on 65 hectares, black gram on 44 hectares, mungbean on 197 hectares and cowpea on 16 hectares of land in the region,” he said.

“Farmers have already harvested lentil from 1,369 hectares of land, producing 1,826 tonnes and grass pea from 1,691 hectares producing 2,229 tonnes,” Wahed said, adding that the harvesting process of pulses continues now in the region.

Currently, farmers are very happy getting lucrative prices for their produced different varieties of pulses in all five districts of Rangpur, Gaibandha, Lalmonirhat, Kurigram and Nilphamari in the region.

Wahed said the DAE and other agriculture related organisations provided incentives, training, quality seeds, latest technologies and inputs to farmers to make the pulse farming programme successful.

“Besides, the government through different commercial banks disbursed easy-term agri-loans to farmers to encourage them in bringing more land under cultivation of pulses to enhance production this season,” he added.

Talking to BSS, Senior Coordinator (Agriculture and Environment) of RDRS Bangladesh Agriculturist Mamunur Rashid said there is a huge potential to increase pulse production in the country’s northern region despite crop diversification.

“Special emphasis should be put on exploring the prevailing brighter prospect for enhancing pulse output through increasing its cultivation, adopting latest agriculture technologies and using high yielding varieties of seeds,” he said.

He stressed adoption of the mixed, relay and intercropping crop cultivation methods to increase farming and production of pulses on the main land and riverine char areas in all seasons to make the nation self-reliant on pulses.