RANGPUR, Aug 02, 2018 (BSS) – Agriculture experts at a crop cutting function have called for enhancing less irrigation-water consuming Aus rice cultivation as an additional cereal crop to increase rice production for attaining food security.
They made the call at the function organised for harvesting BRRI dhan48 variety Aus rice on the exhibition plot of farmer Sultan Ahmed at Jamuna Block of Durgapur union under Ulipur upazila of Kurigram on Wednesday afternoon.
Ulipur Upazila Agriculture Office of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) organised the function for the farmers to exhibit cultivation technologies of BRRI dhan48 Aus rice and inspire them in enhancing cultivation of the crop.
With Ulipur Upazila Nirbahi Officer Muhammad Shafikul Islam in the chair, Ulipur Upazila Chairman Md Haider Ali attended the function and launched crop cutting of BRRI dhan48 Aus rice as the chief guest.
Ulipur Upazila Agriculture Officer of the DAE Agriculturist Ashok Kumar Roy, Additional Upazila Agriculture Officer Agriculturist Abdul Gaffer, Durgapur union Chairman Abed Ali Sarder, Sub-assistant Agriculture Officer Abdul Aziz and farmer Sultan Ahmed, spoke.
Agriculturist Roy narrated the importance of popularising Aus rice cultivation using seasonal rainwater to gradually replace costly Boro rice farming for reduce lifting of underground water to improve environment, ecology and biodiversity.
“Cultivation of the short duration (100-105 days) BRRI dhan48 Aus rice requires only 3-4 irrigations to get average yield rate of 5 tonnes of the crop in terms of paddy per hectare after harvest when Boro rice farming requires 20-30 times irrigations,” he said.
Agriculturist Gaffer said the present government has taken various steps, including distribution of special incentives and quality seed, to enhance cultivation of eco-friendly and short duration Aus rice varieties like BRRI dhan48 using the latest technologies.
“The farmers can increase rice production by enhancing cultivation of Aus rice, mostly using unused seasonal rainwater, during the off season as an additional substitute cereal crop to costly Boro rice farming without hampering Aman rice cultivation,” he said.
The chief guest urged the agriculturists to disseminate latest technologies to farmers for enhancing Aus rice cultivation during the off-season between late May and early August to gradually reduce costly Boro cultivation that requires huge irrigation water.