RANGPUR, Sept 04, 2018 (BSS) – The farmers have exceeded the fixed target
of farming Transplanted Aman (T- Aman) this season as transplantation of
seedling still continues in Rangpur agriculture region.
Officials of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) said the
farmers have so far transplanted T-Aman rice seedling on 5.95 lakh hectares
of land, exceeding the targeted land area for cultivation of the crop by 0.15
percent.
“As transplantation of late varieties of T-Aman rice will continue till
mid-September, the farmers will bring more land under its cultivation,”
Horticulture Specialist of the DAE Khondker Md Mesbahul Islam at its regional
office said here today.
The farmers have already brought 5.95 lakh hectares of land under
cultivation of T-Aman rice against the fixed target of bringing 5.94-lakh
hectares of land under its farming to produce 16.39-lakh tonnes of clean T-
Aman rice this season in the region.
“Due to inadequate rainfalls, the farmers have put 61,734 irrigation
pumps, including 1,298 deep and 59,756 shallow tube wells, 198 low lift and
482 other pumps into operation for supplementary irrigation to their T-Aman
fields in the region,” Islam said.
Side by side with the DAE, Barind Multipurpose Development Authority,
BADC and authority of the Teesta Barrage Project are assisting the farmers to
ensure supplementary irrigation to make the T-Aman rice farming programme a
success, he said.
Talking to BSS, Additional Deputy Director of the DAE at its regional
office Md Moniruzzaman said the farmers have become more experienced over the
years in facing any situation like droughts to manage their T-Aman
cultivation activities.
“The farmers are providing supplementary irrigation to their T-Aman
fields using lifted underground water when and where necessary due to lack of
adequate seasonal rainfalls to irrigate the growing plants of the crop,” he
said.
“The sky is remaining cloddy during the past couple of days with a
possibility of adequate rainfalls anytime,” Moniruzzaman said and hoped that
T-Aman farming would not be hampered if seasonal rainfalls came down in the
region.
Farmers Manik Mian of Darshona village and Aiyub Ali of village
Kathihara in Sadar upazila of Rangpur and Abul Kalam of village Sibram in
Sadar upazila of Kurigram said that were giving supplementary irrigation to
their T-Aman crop lands when necessary.
Rice scientist Dr Md Abdul Mazid, who got Independence Award 2018 Medal
(food security) this year, suggested the farmers to irrigate T-Aman fields at
the beginning of hair-cracking formation to keep the root-zone wet for saving
the roots from stresses.
“The farmers can use the Alternate Drying and Wetting (AWD) irrigation
method for irrigating T-Aman fields to keep the root-zone wet for normal
growth of tender plants to get usual yield rate of the cereal crop under the
present situation,” he said.
Dr Mazid, however, said that T-Aman rice farming would not be hampered
in the region if adequate seasonal rainfalls showered in the coming days.